The Mill City Times Interview: Dancing Bear Chocolate

Article by Becky Fillinger

Dancing Bear Chocolate is in the final weeks leading up to opening their Northern Chocolate Studio at 4367 N Thomas Avenue in the Victory neighborhood. The coronavirus pandemic has shutdown much of the state.  Small businesses are still attempting to move forward, and in the spirit of supporting our community we will continue to report on how businesses are adapting. We sat down with the owners – practicing good social distancing - Joe Skifter and Steven Howard, to talk about their new space and their dreams for the business.

MCT:  What’s the anticipated opening date for your new space?  You had mentioned in other interviews that it won’t be a traditional retail location. What do you envision for your studio space?

JS:  We hope to be open the week before Easter, with the gelato/ice cream and treat window in operation at that time. We are at the mercy of COVID-19 right now so we will open for business as soon as we can. All construction is on pace to be finished mid-April. New windows and doors have been installed. We’re using all safety precautions to move ahead with our construction and to protect our crew. Currently we are planning on having the store open Thursday and Friday 3PM to 7PM and Saturday 10AM to 4PM. During warmer weather we will add hours of operation for the walk-up gelato window on Sunday and summer holidays.  During December, we plan to be open every day leading up to Christmas. We are planning to close the store for the month of January, reopening in February for Valentine’s Day.

SH: We’ll use the studio for fulfilling our online orders. Our space is wide open – the new windows are very large - with work tables and shelving separating retail from the kitchen. We want our customers and neighbors walking by to see what we are working on. We imagine it as a very interactive space – with demonstrations and classes. You’ll also see orchids in the window – we grow them at home and see them as adding to the beauty of the studio.

Joe Skifter and Steven Howard

MCT:  What’s the history of this building?

JS:  The structure was built in 1929 as a grocery store. In the 1940’s, it was a Spudnut Donut location.  Children would carry out trays of donuts and sell them door to door in the neighborhood. It then became the office of Dr. Vern Steffens, a dentist from the late 60’s till the 90’s. After that a local church ran a maternity assistance clinic at the location, aiding new mothers and babies. It sat vacant for a number of years.  I saw the real estate listing on New Year’s Day 2018 and knew it would be the perfect location for our dream of owning a chocolate shop. 

SH:  Every prior business here took care of the neighborhood – whether it was groceries, dental work or helping moms. We’re going to keep that pattern unbroken. We are actively looking for photos and stories of any of the earlier businesses and services at this location. Please contact us – we’ll share your stories too.

Dancing Bear Chocolate building design

MCT:  Steven, you’ve worked in chocolate in the past. You worked in desserts and pastries at RSVP Cruise Lines, D’Amico Cucina and you were a chocolatier on Nantucket Island. You also opened KoKoa Chocolatier in Tulsa OK, which grew to three locations. Was Dancing Bear Chocolate always in the back of your mind as the Minnesota entrepreneurial business you wanted?  

SH:  Some of my other positions were also very entrepreneurial. KoKoa, a chocolate-themed restaurant in Tulsa OK, started with one location and grew to three. For Dancing Bear, I want this to not just be an entrepreneurial business venture but also be a place for happiness and wonder. I’m envisioning a real Willie Wonka customer experience. It is certainly a goal to open the studio with my husband, Joe.

JS:  We want this to be a center of neighborhood experiences and activities. This is our future and we want to make a connection with every customer. **

MCT:  What is your formal chocolate education? 

SH:  I’m a self-taught chocolatier and executive pastry chef with over 20 years of experience.

MCT: A Yahoo small business article advises chocolate startups to start small and build a demand before investing in a big commercial space or expensive equipment. Have you followed this path?

JS: We are in our 3rd year of operation - we have taken a ‘go slow’ approach to this project. Selling online and through pop-up shops gave us the momentum to move forward with our own retail space and studio. We realize that we do not have unlimited funds and the funds we do have need to used wisely. We own the building which will keep our monthly expenses down.  The cost of the renovation is about double what we originally thought. A grant from the Victory Neighborhood Association has been very helpful in the renovation of our building.

MCT: How do you introduce customers to your products?

JS:  Well, we launched the company in 2018 without a retail location. We did pop-up sales at Chameleon Shoppes at Gaviidae Common and at Open Book. We’ve sold via Etsy.com. We have a strong social media presence with Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. We’ve sold wholesale and also donated product at many charitable events. 

SH: Most recently, we donated chocolate to go along with the meals Emilys F&M provides for people unable to venture out for meals during the coronavirus shutdown.     

MCT:  Empire Chocolates, a chocolate startup, describe their customer as “passionate about the arts - creative and sociable, they enjoy galleries and attend fashion events, they celebrate cultural and artistic icons they admire.” They have certainly drilled down to a specific an understanding of their customer? Who is your customer?

SH:  Our customers are all over the map. We all know that Minneapolis is an incredible foodie town - like Empire we have customers who fit the chocolate aficionado description. Our studio is also across the street from Loring Elementary School and Victory Park. We meet a lot of moms and families! We don’t want to price ourselves out of the market. Our chocolate and pastries will be accessible. Great chocolate does not have to be a luxury item. We meet our customers where they’re at. My main goals with the chocolate is that it taste delicious and create wonder, happiness and love – which can happen at many price points.

MCT:  What is behind the company name?

JS:  The name we chose for the business - Dancing Bear Chocolate – and the names of many of our products, have interesting stories. Steve is a fan of all things related to polar bears. He wanted the name and logo to be a dancing polar bear with a Northern Star. We hope our logo inspires hope, love and kindness. The logo also acknowledges our Minnesota roots. Our creations will often feature bears, hearts and stars. You’ll have to come by and check out our “Kodiak” bar and Bear Paw brownie. We hope to inspire our customers with joy and happiness through our products. Our customer reviews to date have told us that we’re meeting our objectives!

MCT:  What have been your biggest challenges? Have you found a way to overcome them?

JS:  We have had many challenges along the way, especially since taking on our building renovation. We had to re-zone our building from Office-Residential to Commercial-Retail, which was the original zoning for the structure. We had the good fortune of connecting with Zoe Thiel, Manager of the Minneapolis Small Business Team. Zoe has helped us immensely. We could pick up the phone and call her for advice and she always responded quickly. We took every setback in stride and continued to move forward. Failure was not an option and conquering each challenge is an unbelievable feeling of accomplishment. I said in an early conversation with Zoe, about the zoning challenges, that Minneapolis has been an incredible place for me to live, she has never let me down and I believe this is not the time she will.  I’m happy to say that Minneapolis did not let us down.  By the way, Under the Minneapolis 2040 plan, which Dancing Bear Chocolate did not fall under, it will be a lot easier to improve properties as well as to start and operate businesses in Minneapolis.

MCT: Do you handle corporate accounts? Custom orders?

SH:  Yes and Yes. This past holiday season, we received an order for 38 corporate gift baskets. We can incorporate corporate logos on chocolate pieces. Once we are in the studio, our capacity will skyrocket. Our cakes are all custom designed and made to order. 

MCT:  What’s on your wish list for 2020 and beyond?

JS:  We see a full line of Dancing Bear provisions. It could include honey, lemon curd, take and bake scones, sweet and savory crackers, etc. We see cooking classes by area chefs and artisans.

SH:  I feel that we birthed the business two years ago. We’re now growing it and putting it on the right path. Of course, the business will allow us to continue to support the charities important to us. Those are Polar Bears International and Open Arms of Minnesota. We live a few blocks from here. We’ve been blown away by the community outreach to us, even at this point. When we needed to rezone, the number of neighbors stepping forward to help was tremendous. Our goal is a bright, loving future for the business and our greater community.

**During our meeting, Joe Skifter saw a neighbor looking in the new windows. He opened the door to speak to her and give her an update on the business.

Coming Event

MCT:  Anything else you’d like to tell our readers?

DBC:  Follow our social media – come by for a gelato or chocolate in April – we look forward to meeting you!

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About Becky Fillinger

I’ve been a resident of the Mill District only since July 2019, but have visited the Guthrie, the Farmers Market, restaurants and friends in the area for many years prior to making the leap to Minneapolis. I’ve lived in many places (and climates) in the US and can testify that our cultural events, bicycle and hiking trails, parks and green spaces, museums, diverse neighborhoods and wonderful restaurants put Minnesota and Minneapolis high on my best places list. I’m a member of the Mill City Singers and look forward to our choir practices and performances.

One of my main interests is community - a very broad concept. For me it means bringing people together with common interests to form meaningful relationships. I look forward to reporting on businesses and individuals in our neighborhoods. Feel free to drop me an email at becky_fillinger@hotmail.com with your thoughts and ideas for stories.