Bellaire Park Bench Inspires One Resident to Start New Business
October 11, 2011 Instant News Bellaire
Bellaire resident Susan Downs has started a new business selling chocolates after being inspired by an art bench outside of city hall.
Downs noticed the “Bellaire Chocolates” bench on South Rice Boulevard last fall.
The bench was one of eight installed in the city after the Bellaire Cultural Arts Commission and city council approved the designs from local and Texas artists.
Julie Richie, an artist from Dallas, designed the chocolates bench and took her inspiration from a quote from the “Forest Gump” movie, “life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.”
Downs went into city hall one day, wanting to know where she could buy chocolates and was told that the city did not sell chocolates.
The bench inspired her to start her own business selling “Bellaire Chocolates.”
Downs is working with a chocolatier from Houston to sell three kinds of chocolate including milk chocolate with Jack Daniels, caramel, cashews and fleur de sel, dark chocolate with pistachio, orange peel, Cointeau and dried cherries and white chocolate with lavender, Pimm’s No. 1, Chervil and a cracked pepper and lavender fleur de sel.
“They’re like an orgasm in a box,” she said. “It’s true.”
The chocolates are $10 for a 4.5 ounce box and can be purchased at Hickory Pit BBQ in Bellaire.
A post on Facebook, August 16, 2011:
"I am getting free advertising for my new business with a beautiful park bench in front of Bellaire City Hall. It says on the front of the bench "Bellaire Chocolates" and on the back of the bench it says "Made fresh daily since 1908."
"The park bench was actually the inspiration to start my business and call it Bellaire Chocolates. Instantnewsbellaire did a story on me and my chocolate business a few weeks ago."
It is unclear if this business still exists as a post on Facebook from November 13, 2014 states: "We are currently closed while I look for a new source of chocolates. Please send me any recommendations.
Bellaire Chocolates might be closed, but you can still sit on this bench.