No, it's not closed. Framingham's Chocolate Therapy is relocating its retail store

Chocolate Therapy is in transition.

The popular boutique chocolate shop, which got a visit from Robin Roberts in October 2021 as part of a feature on ABC's "Good Morning America," has closed its store on Worcester Road (Route 9) in Framingham but plans to reopen in Wayland.

"We haven't closed. If you go on Google it says that we have permanently closed, but we are currently moving to a new location," said Pam Griffin, who co-owns the business with her husband, David.

After more than a decade in Framingham, the business is moving to 63 Andrew Ave. in Wayland, within the Town Center shopping plaza off Boston Post Road (Route 20).

"After 10 years, they needed to get more rent," Griffin said of her Framingham landlord. "Our landlord was the most wonderful landlord in the world because we have been paying a lower rent since the pandemic, and we found our sweet spot."

Griffin added that Chocolate Therapy is reducing the size of its retail space because "manufacturing is most of our business."

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"Wayland had a great location and the reception we are getting has been incredible," she said. "People are walking up to us when we have been over there and telling us how excited they are that we are coming."

Chocolate Therapy's last day in Framingham was March 31, and its owners hope to reopen in Wayland in June. In the meantime, the business continues to take orders and make chocolate, working from Renee's Kitchen in Natick.

"I didn't know Renee beforehand," Pam Griffin said. "(But) one of my wholesale clients told me to call Renee because they knew she might have space."

Renee's Kitchen, a takeout location run by chef Renee Faubert, occasionally opens space in its kitchen to accommodate other entrepreneurs in need of culinary space. Faubert, who pre-makes gourmet entrees for same-day purchasing at 148 East Central St. (Route 135) in Natick, said a business like Chocolate Therapy is a perfect partner for her space.

"The thing about this place is when I originally found the location is that I didn't need this much space — it's a ton of space for what I'm doing," Faubert said. "It works for us because all of my cooking is done by 2:30 p.m., and other people can come in at 4 p.m. and they can use the kitchen."

Second career in chocolate

The Griffins started Chocolate Therapy despite lacking any real background in chocolate or baking. Pam, a regional director with Starbucks, and David, who was president of an auto parts company, were bored with their corporate careers, and looking to do something else.

"We were burned out and looking for something else to do, and one day my husband came home and told me that the perfect thing was chocolate," Pam Griffin said. "I told him we didn't know anything about chocolate."

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But David said he had met someone in the chocolate business who explained the economics of it to him, and that got his entrepreneurial mind whirling.

"He gave me the indication that there was a lot of money to be made in chocolate," he said. "I did some further research and learned that chocolate is pretty sustainable. It's been around forever, you look in the future, 10 or 20 years, and it's still going to be popular. The equipment to get into chocolate is relatively affordable, and we thought we could put a different spin on chocolate, something unique to the market."

Despite their initial lack of experience, Chocolate Therapy has thrived. The Griffins have been aided by professional chocolatier Rick Gemme, who has overseen baking for the past 10 years. And their "Good Morning America" appearance was an added boost.

'Excited we're sticking around'

Pam Griffin said her Framingham fan base is grateful the business will remain in MetroWest.

"Everybody is excited in our Framingham base that we are going to be sticking around," she said. "We've had so many responses from people, sad we are leaving Framingham but happy that we are going to be in Wayland.

"We are looking forward to it, but the process of moving a business is a lot."

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Much of Chocolate Therapy's business comes from online orders and catering at corporate events, both of which it continues to do from Renee's Kitchen. The Wayland location will open a traditional storefront for people looking to do shopping, particularly around the holidays.

Chocolate Therapy also hosts virtual tastings, something it launched during the pandemic.

"We make the chocolate, pack up the kits and send them out to people," Pam Griffin said. "They join us on the Zoom call and we have fun, we talk, we laugh, we teach them about chocolate and where it comes from; they definitely get a lot of the Pam and David show."

The business' transition has been a challenge for the Griffins, with Pam describing moving as one of the biggest challenges in life. Some machinery from the old location is being assembled inside Renee's (and will then be re-assembled at the Wayland location in a couple more months) while the remaining equipment is sitting in storage outside the couple's Framingham home.

But the Griffins' persistence, and support from the community, keep Chocolate Therapy in business.

"I can't give up yet," Pam Griffin said. "I knew the transition wasn't going to be easy, but I knew we could do it. Plus, my husband would never give it up, he probably wants to do this until he is 90 — but he'll be alone if he does."

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Chocolate Therapy is moving its storefront from Framingham to Wayland