Be the first to get your hands on our two newest flavors:

🫒 🍫 The Odyssey: Olive Oil and Rosemary in Dark Chocolate.

🌺 🍫 The Time Machine: Hibiscus and Jasmine in Milk Chocolate.

Please visit our Kickstarter campaign by clicking the button below:

The Odyssey & The Time Machine

kickstarter.com/projects/gegallas/the-odyssey-and-the-time-machine-chocolate-bars

Supporting our Kickstarter campaign will help us create these new chocolate bars!

Open Book Chocolates is...

• ✋ Handmade

• 🍫 Bean-to-Bar

• ⚖️ Fair Trade = Fair Wages for Cacao Farmers

• 👶 Without Child Labor

• 🍃 Eco-Friendly

• ✅ Organic

• ✅ Gluten Free

• ✅ Soy Free

• ✅ Vegan Friendly = Our Dark Chocolate is Dairy Free

• 🥜 Safe for Those with Allergies = We Use Dedicated Equipment for Flavors with Nuts

Rewards for this Kickstarter campaign include all nineteen of our current flavors (including The Odyssey and The Time Machine), so you can get any combination of flavors you’d like.

• ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Candied Rose Petals in Milk Chocolate.

• DOCTOR WATSON: Earl Grey Tea and Honey in Milk Chocolate.

• JANE EYRE: Bilberries in Milk Chocolate.

• PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Blackcurrant and Cinnamon in Dark Chocolate.

• LES MISERABLES: White Cherry in Dark Chocolate.

• TREASURE ISLAND: Rum and Coconut in Dark Chocolate.

• THE RAVEN: Violet in Dark Chocolate with Milk.

• A LITTLE PRINCESS: Masala Chai in Milk Chocolate.

• THE GREAT GATSBY: Mint Julep in Dark Chocolate.

• THE CALL OF CTHULHU: Nori Seaweed, Ginger Spice, and Candied Ginger in Dark Chocolate.

• THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY: Strawberries and Juniper Berries in Dark Chocolate.

• THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO: Porcini Mushrooms and Peach in Dark Chocolate.

• ONE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS: Pistachios and Apricot in Goat’s Milk Chocolate.

• FRANKENSTEIN: Raspberries and Icelandic Lava Salt in Dark Chocolate with Milk.

• THE MALTESE FALCON: Brandy and Coffee in Dark Chocolate.

• THE ODYSSEY: Olive Oil and Rosemary in Dark Chocolate.

• THE TIME MACHINE: Hibiscus and Jasmine in Milk Chocolate.

• A CHRISTMAS CAROL: Hazelnuts, Pear, and Nutmeg in Dark Chocolate.

• JOLABOKAFLOD (ICELANDIC YULE BOOK FLOOD): Candied Orange, Cinnamon, and Clove in Dark Chocolate.

Plus, our Kickstarter features reward add-ons including our new-and-improved pouch as well as our brand-new bandanas.

We hope you’ll consider backing our new project. Please help us spread the word via social media and by word of mouth!

• Facebook: @OpenBookChocolates

• Instagram: @openbookchocolates

• Bluesky: @gegallas.bsky.social

• Threads: @openbookchocolates

• Website: openbookchocolates.com

Thank you so much! 📖🍫💖

Best regards,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

OpenBookChocolates.com

Friday, August 7th through Sunday August, 9th, we attended the Key City Steampunk Convention at the Wyndham Gettysburg Hotel and Conference Center in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This was our second time at Key City Steampunk, and our fourth steampunk event. We truly enjoy the steampunk community, and it’s wonderful seeing faces both familiar and new at each event.

Our friend Maggie Weber (RefashionedHippie) was a special guest of the convention. We’re so thrilled she had such as wonderful time at Key City. And the steampunk community seemed to welcome her wholeheartedly!

This was our first time trying out our new indoor event setup. We have two new tall pegboards with shelves for chocolate bars and other products. Plus, we have a new bar table, that’s so much lighter than our other event table and has two shelves in the back for us to store items like gift bags and menus. I was a little bit nervous about the new setup, but it worked even better than I had hoped. (We’ll still be using our old setup for outdoor events, since the pegboards would probably roll around and fall over outside.)

Kickstarter Pre-Launch: The Odyssey & The Time Machine

🫒 🌺 This Kickstarter = Our Two Newest Flavors

Be the first to get your hands on our two newest flavors, The Odyssey (Olive Oil and Rosemary in Dark Chocolate) and The Time Machine (Hibiscus and Jasmine in Milk Chocolate). Supporting our Kickstarter campaign will help us create these new chocolate bars!

Please click the button below to visit our Kickstarter 2026 Pre-Launch Page:

The Odyssey & The Time Machine

🔔 CLICK “NOTIFY ME ON LAUNCH” TO BE FIRST IN LINE!

🚀 LAUNCHING TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2026.

The Brady Readery: Literature Can Save The World

On Friday, August 14th, we visited The Brady Readery in Laytonsville, Maryland. This brand-new, woman- and veteran-owned bookstore is so fun and cozy, we could just hang out there all day.

The owner, Michelle, is truly an amazing human being! We brought over chocolate samples for her and her daughter to taste. They were so excited and enthusiastic about our flavors and packaging. We’re absolutely thrilled for The Brady Readery to carry our chocolate bars!

The Brady Readery

Periwinkle & Prose Romance Bookstore

On Monday, August 17th, we got a little sneak peak inside Periwinkle & Prose, a queer- and woman-owned romance bookshop opening in downtown Frederick, Maryland. We brought over chocolate samples for co-owners Amber and Sara to taste; then they selected which flavors they wanted to carry in store. It’s an honor to have our literary-inspired chocolate bars included in this whimsical indie bookstore!

On Saturday, August 22nd, we popped by Periwinkle & Prose to celebrate their grand opening. And, wow, it was busy! We arrived a few minutes before the official ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m., and there was already a line down the block. I know Amber and Sara were worried that no one would show up on opening day; I’m absolutely thrilled that so many people were there to support this new indie bookstore. Congratulations, Amber and Sara!

Periwinkle & Prose

VoyageMaryland

Earlier this month, I was interviewed about Open Book Chocolates for VoyageMaryland — an online publication featuring local small businesses, independent artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs.

To read the interview, please click the button below:

Interview with Geri on VoyageMaryland

Kickstarter Pre-Launch: Heavy Are The Years Story Collection

Three illustrated SFF novellas in one collection exploring the theme of time and how it effects us.

Open Book Chocolates is working with Bonedust Press (bonedustpress.com) and WildStar Press (wildstarpress.com) on their new illustrated story collection, Heavy Are The Years. We’re collaborating with these two small presses on a custom, limited-edition chocolate bar for their upcoming Kickstarter campaign.

“Heavy Are The Years is an illustrated story collection about the weight of time on our minds, our bodies, and our souls. Is it the looming, inevitable press of millennia across history changing even the most powerful beings in strange ways? Does time lose meaning or compound when it loops in on itself, trapping one soul within it’s grasp? And what does time mean when we’ve left our mortal coil, trying to grasp the slippery stream of mortal time to reunite with a loved one?

Explore all these themes and more as you dive into this collected trio of illustrated stories. Heavy Are The Years, once funded, will debut in early 2027 with three novella-length stories, each illustrated by an artist paired carefully with each writer. This book is a collaborative project between Bonedust and Wildstar Press, a Stardust Collaboration.”

Please click the button below to visit their Kickstarter Pre-Launch Page:

Heavy Are The Years

Upcoming Events

Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’re very excited for our upcoming events September through November:

• Saturday, September 19th: Pop-Up at My Big Finds in Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

• Wednesday, September 23rd: “A Tasting: Telling Stories Through Chocolate” at the C. Burr Artz Public Library, Community Room (CBA), in Frederick, Maryland.

• Saturday, October 17th: Pop-Up at My Big Finds in Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

• Saturday, November 7th through Sunday, November 8th: DMV Chocolate & Coffee Festival in Boyds, Maryland.

• Saturday, November 14th through Sunday, November 15th: DMV Chocolates & Coffee Festival in Sterling, Virginia.

• Friday, November 27th through Sunday, November 29th: Maryland Christmas Show in Frederick, Maryland.

We will be announcing additional events (September through December) as soon as more information becomes available.

If you’re a Maryland/Virginia/Washington, D.C. local, we hope to see you there!

Please visit our events page for more details:

Upcoming Events

We hope you’ll join us on Tuesday, September 1st for the launch of The Odyssey and The Time Machine Chocolate Bars on Kickstarter! 📖🍫💖

See you next time!

Best regards,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

OpenBookChocolates.com

Order Fulfillment Update

As I’ve mentioned in previous Substack posts, River-Sea Chocolates (who helps us make our chocolate bars) has offered to help us with order fulfillment going forward. This is extremely generous of them, and will be be extremely helpful to us.

Currently, the plan is that River-Sea will help us fulfill our retail orders from our online store. We’ll still fulfill our wholesale orders at Open Book Chocolates headquarters.

Additionally, for our September Kickstarter campaign, it’s possible that River-Sea will help us fulfill rewards depending upon how many backers there are. Potentially, we might split Kickstarter reward fulfillment 50/50.

A few weeks ago, we sat down with the absolutely amazing Sarah at River-Sea Chocolates in Reston, Virginia. We ironed out all the order fulfillment details with her. She has so many brilliant ideas that we would never think of ourselves. Going forward, our retail orders are in good hands!

PRELAUNCH: Two New Flavors & Upcoming Kickstarter

Kickstarter 2026 Pre-Launch Page

Our upcoming Kickstarter campaign is almost ready to launch!

Every year, we use Kickstarter as a way to fund our newest flavors, and for backers/customers/fans to be first in line to essentially preorder these flavors.

Currently, we’re planning on launching this year’s Kickstarter on September 1st for our two newest flavors. Every year, our goal is to send out Kickstarter rewards (i.e. chocolate bars) to backers well before December 25th.

In our June Substack post, we shared a few hints as to our two newest flavors. Here are the answers!

HINT/ANSWERS:

1. Flavor No. 1: When translated into English, the page count for this classic piece of literature has anywhere from just over 300 pages to as many as 600. This work was first translated into English in the 16th century. It’s been adapted and reimagined hundreds (if not thousands) of times.

   ANSWER = THE ODYSSEY: Olive Oil and Rosemary in Dark Chocolate.

2. Flavor No. 2: This novella utilizes a frame story and an anonymous protagonist. The story is a social commentary on the time period contemporary to when this work was first published. Some elements of the plot are inspired by the author’s own personal and childhood experiences — his family having spent most of their time in a dark, basement kitchen.

   ANSWER = THE TIME MACHINE: Hibiscus and Jasmine in Milk Chocolate.

We hope you’re as excited for The Odyssey and The Time Machine chocolate bars as we are.

Please click the button below to visit our Kickstarter 2026 Pre-Launch Page:

The Odyssey & The Time Machine

🔔 CLICK “NOTIFY ME ON LAUNCH” TO BE FIRST IN LINE!

🚀 LAUNCHING TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2026.

Recently Restocked

Our chocolate bars have been recently restocked at the following stores:

• Tiger Moth Mercantile: 17 E Main St, Carnegie, PA 15106.

• Líf Books: 18 North Rd Unit 1b, Bedford, MA 01730.

• Avant Garden Bookstore: 215 E Main St, Anoka, MN 55303.

• Books on Main: 301 Main St, Friendship, WI 53934.

• Knight’s Nook: 401 W Main St, Yukon, OK 73099.

• J Anderson's Books: 96 Chatsworth Ave, Larchmont, NY 10538.

• Paragraphs Bookstore: 229 S Main St, Mt Vernon, OH 43050.

• The Rock Shop: 18109 Dixie Hwy, Homewood, IL 60430.

Chocolate bars are on their way (in transit or order prep in progress) to the following stores:

• Elling Bank Book & Coffee Co.: 201 W Wallace St, Virginia City, MT 59755.

• NOFO @ The Pig Cafe: 2014 Fairview Rd, Raleigh, NC 27608.

• Commonplace Reader: 49 S Main St, Yardley, PA 19067.

• Wonderland Books: 7920 Norfolk Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814.

Find Us In Stores

New Merch Preview

Our new-and-improved pouches and brand-new bandanas from Alchemy Merch (alchemymerch.com) have finally arrived at Open Book Chocolates headquarters!

We’re so excited that both the pouches and bandanas turned out beautifully. 🥳

Our new-and-improved pouches are full-color, heavyweight material with one design on the front and another design on the back. You can fit five (5) chocolate bars in a pouch, as well as your literary-inspired accessories (bookmarks, enamel pins, pens, pencils, etc.).

Our brand-new bandanas are 22 by 22 inches, full-color, and made of 100% cotton poplin. They will come packaged with a belly band.

Both pouches and bandanas will become available as Kickstarter add-ons for all reward tiers.

Kickstarter 2026 Pre-Launch Page

New Envelopes/Packaging

Recently, I placed a new, big order with our printers. These new envelopes will be made of very slightly thinner paper.

This past January, I ordered this same thinner paper, but the printers accidentally used the old, thicker paper. I didn’t want these envelopes to go to waste, since there’s nothing terribly wrong with them, so we’ve been using them up.

Why switch to this thinner paper? Those familiar with our previous Kickstarter campaigns know we are always adjusting and improving our packaging. Our current packaging has a seam on one side as well as a top flap and a bottom flap. We always have problems with the seams and flaps popping open. We’re always careful to make sure our chocolate bars are hermetically sealed in plastic bins, and we always fix or repackage envelopes that have popped open. This new, thinner paper should help decrease this problem!

Plus, with the new paper, the envelopes takes up less room in storage.

Heavy Are The Years: Illustrated Story Collection

Open Book Chocolates is working with Bonedust Press (bonedustpress.com) and WildStar Press (wildstarpress.com) on their new illustrated story collection, Heavy Are The Years. We’re collaborating with these two small presses on a custom, limited-edition chocolate bar for their upcoming Kickstarter campaign.

“Time is a constant, ever-present cycle, but what does that mean for a long-forgotten god, a world ravaged by climate disaster, or a person trapped in a time loop? Time changes everything, and these stories explore what remains, what we cling to, and what we embrace.

Heavy Are The Years is a collection of three lushly illustrated novellas in a single book that invites you into these worlds to explore what time, and everything it leaves in its wake, really means to each of us.

This project is a collaboration between Bonedust Press and Wildstar Press to encourage new stories and support within the small press community for everyone.”

Furthermore, the contributors for Heavy Are The Years were recently announced:

“We at Bonedust Press and WildStar Press were blown away by the enthusiasm for our first Stardust submission period! With over 200 amazing submissions, it was tough to narrow it down.

🌟We’re delighted to announce our contributors for Heavy Are The Years!!🌟”

• Riotbones: riotbones.com.

• K.C. Pickelsimer.

• Jade Zhang: jadezhang.art.

• A.A. Ademola.

• Angela Hsieh: linktr.ee/angelahsieh.

• Andrew Belindo.

• Carey Pietsch: careydraws.com.

The Kickstarter campaign for Heavy Are The Years will launch on August 17th.

Please follow Bonedust Press on Kickstarter to receive updates on this project:

Bondust Press on Kickstarter

New Mexico Honeymoon Recap

During the final week of June, Phil and I spent our honeymoon in New Mexico! We drove around the desert and spent time in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Alamogordo, and Roswell.

My Favorite Highlights:

(In Chronological Order)

• All the delicious food at Sawmill Market (1909 Bellamah Ave NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104).

• Retro vibes and neon signs at the renovated Monterey Motel (2402 Central Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM 87104).

• Fruit & Cream Waffle (buttermilk Belgian waffle with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and bananas; topped with sweet Bavarian cream) at Smothered Brunch Central (1828 Central Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM 87104).

• Cacti of all shapes and sizes at ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden (2601 Central Ave NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104). Also, Cookies ‘n Cream Dippin’ Dots on a hot day.

• All the adorable penguins swimming underwater at ABQ BioPark Zoo (903 10th St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102). I could have watched them for hours!

• Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino (20 Buffalo Thunder Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87506). I especially enjoyed the beautiful indigenous art throughout the resort, the indoor swimming pool and hot tub, and the couple’s massage at Wo' P'in Spa.

• House-made granola with Greek yogurt and fresh fruit; and a strawberry cream cheese croissant at Cafe Fina (624 Old Las Vegas Hwy, Santa Fe, NM 87505).

• Museum of Indian Arts & Culture (710 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe, NM 87505).

• Above the Clouds I at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum (217 Johnson St, Santa Fe, NM 87501).

• The naturally-formed Camel Rock (285 Frontage, Camel Rock, Santa Fe, NM 87506).

• Giant sopaipilla at Tomasita's (500 S Guadalupe St, Santa Fe, NM 87501).

• Mexican chocolate ice cream at La Lecheria (500 Market St, Santa Fe, NM 87501).

• The friendly and enthusiastic staff at Beastly Books (418 Montezuma Ave, Santa Fe, NM 87501).

• Riding through the desert, munching on Sweet Santa Fe Caramel Corn Prickly Pear Cactus Blossom, and watching the sun set on the Sky Railway (430 W Manhattan Ave, Santa Fe, NM 87501).

• Beautiful clouds and landscapes driving through the desert from Santa Fe to Alamogordo; then from Alamogordo to Roswell; then from Roswell to Albuquerque.

• White Sands National Park (19955 US-70 W, Alamogordo, NM 88310).

• Schnitzel, spaetzle, and hefeweissbier at Oppenheimer Gasthaus (902 N New York Ave, Alamogordo, NM 88310).

• The World’s Largest Pistachio and delicious pistachio ice cream at PistachioLand (7320 Hwy 54 70, Alamogordo, NM 88310).

• Bang for your buck at B & J Hotel (2801 N Kentucky Ave, Roswell, NM 88201). Newly renovated, friendly staff, and complimentary laundry machines.

• Calamari, manicotti bolognese, and tiramisu at Pasta Cafe Italian Bistro (1208 N Main St, Roswell, NM 88201).

• Peach cobbler shaved ice with cinnamon and condensed milk at Bahama Buck's (107 E Mescalero Rd, Roswell, NM 88201).

• Petroglyph National Monument (Western Trail NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120).

Upcoming Events

Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’re very excited for our upcoming events August through November:

• Friday August 7th through Sunday, August 9th: Key City Steampunk Convention in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

• Saturday, November 7th through Sunday, November 8th: DMV Chocolate & Coffee Festival in Boyds, Maryland.

• Saturday, November 14th through Sunday, November 15th: DMV Chocolates & Coffee Festival in Sterling, Virginia.

• Friday, November 27th through Sunday, November 29th: Maryland Christmas Show in Frederick, Maryland.

We will be announcing additional events (September through December) as soon as more information becomes available.

If you’re local to Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Virginia, we hope to see you there!

Please visit our events page for more details:

Upcoming Events

Please stay cool and hydrated this summer! 😎 🧊 🍹

See you next time!

Best regards,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

OpenBookChocolates.com

(i. e. Order Fulfillment Update)

As you may know, in late March, Maggie Weber (RefashionedHippie) posted a video review of our chocolate bars, which went viral. As of now, the video has approximately 700K views total across social media. Between late March and early June, we received around 700 orders (both retail and wholesale), which was simultaneously exciting and extremely overwhelming. With my wedding in early April, BookCon mid-April, and five additional in-person events from April through June, you can just imagine how busy we’ve been these past few months.

We’ve been working extremely hard to fulfill everyone’s orders. And now, we’re finally caught up!

There are a few BookCon orders that still need to go out. These orders are eligible for a complimentary pouch. As soon as our new-and-improved pouches arrive, we will send out these remaining BookCon orders.

We’re still getting a trickle of retail and wholesale orders almost every day now. We’re sending out 17 packages today! With the hot weather, we try to send out orders at the beginning of the week (Mondays and Tuesdays), so orders won’t sit at the post office over the weekend and melt. And we always include complimentary ice packs and insulated packaging.

Future Order Fulfillment

River-Sea Chocolates (who helps us make our chocolate bars) has offered to help us with order fulfillment going forward, which is extremely generous of them, and would be extremely helpful to us. We’re currently in the process of ironing everything out with them. So stay tuned for more details.

Thank you again for your support, understanding, and patience! 📖 🍫 💖

Two New Flavors & Upcoming Kickstarter

Recently, I’ve been working on putting together our upcoming Kickstarter campaign. Every year, we use Kickstarter as a way to fund our newest flavors, and for backers/customers/fans to be first in line to essentially preorder these flavors.

Currently, we’re planning on launching this year’s Kickstarter in early September for our two newest flavors. Every year, our goal is to send out Kickstarter rewards (i.e. chocolate bars) to backers well before December 25th.

Some of you may already know what our two newest flavors are (from our menu and/or from in-person events). But we haven’t announced them yet on the internet. So I thought I’d share some hints.

HINTS:

1. Flavor No. 1: When translated into English, the page count for this classic piece of literature has anywhere from just over 300 pages to as many as 600. This work was first translated into English in the 16th century. It’s been adapted and reimagined hundreds (if not thousands) of times.

2. Flavor No. 2: This novella utilizes a frame story and an anonymous protagonist. The story is a social commentary on the time period contemporary to when this work was first published. Some elements of the plot are inspired by the author’s own personal and childhood experiences — his family having spent most of their time in a dark, basement kitchen.

Can you guess what our two new flavors will be?

Please share your guesses in the comments.

😎 I’m a Superbacker!

In other exciting Kickstarter-related news, I’ve recently become a Superbacker!

Superbackers have pledged at least $10 to 25 or more Kickstarter projects in a year. What’s more, Superbackers make up the top 3% of supporters on Kickstarter.

Open Book Chocolates got our start in 2017 via a small but successful Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter is one way many independent artists, bookstores, and creative small businesses like us get their start. So it’s important to us to support interesting and amazing projects on Kickstarter.

I’m looking forward to supporting more Kickstarter campaigns in the near future!

Bards Alley Bookshop Restock

On Wednesday, June 10th, after visiting River-Sea Chocolates in Reston, we went on a little side quest to drop off sixty chocolate bars at Bards Alley Bookshop in Vienna, Virginia. Bards Alley has been carrying our chocolate bars for five or six years now, and we just adore their cozy, little store. Plus, we’re very excited that they’re in the process of relocating to a new building just down the street. If you’re local to Virginia, we hope you’ll plan a trip to visit Bards!

Bards Alley Bookshop, 110 Church St NW (Early 2027, Moving to 103 Church St NE.), Vienna, VA 22180:

Bards Alley Bookshop

Find Us In Stores

As you may know, our chocolate bars are carried in a number of bookstores and gift shops across the U.S. We’ve recently updated our “Find Us In Stores” page, so please check it out:

Find Us In Stores

If you have any suggestions for stores that you’d like to see carry Open Book Chocolates, please contact me (Geri) via OpenBookChocolates@email.com. Thank you so much!

New Merch in the Works

A few weeks ago, we placed an order with Alchemy Merch (alchemymerch.com) for new-and-improved pouches as well as brand-new bandanas!

Our new-and-improved pouches are full-color, heavyweight material with one design on the front and another design on the back. You can fit about four chocolate bars in a pouch, as well as your literary-inspired accessories (bookmarks, enamel pins, pens, pencils, etc.).

Our brand-new bandanas are 22 by 22 inches, full-color, and made of 100% cotton poplin. They will come packaged with a belly band.

We’re patiently waiting for the pouches and bandanas to arrive at Open Book Chocolates headquarters. Once they do, we’ll be sure to share some photos with you!

Both pouches and bandanas will become available as Kickstarter add-ons for all reward tiers.

Book and Bar: Gourmet Chocolate Tasting at Finist and the Owl Bookstore Recap

On Saturday, May 30th, we traveled to Bellefonte, Delaware (just outside of Wilmington) for a pop-up at Finist and the Owl. This bookstore is so incredibly cute and cozy, and it was fun exploring its various themed rooms. If you’re ever in the area, we recommend stopping by!

Finist and The Owl, 811 Brandywine Blvd, Wilmington, DE 19809:

Finist and The Owl

My Big Finds Pop-Up Recap

On Saturday, June 6th, we were once again at My Big Finds in Kentlands (Gaithersburg, Maryland) for an in-store pop-up. We hadn’t seen the owner, Jodi, in some time (she’s a very busy lady), so it was wonderful catching up with her.

Even when we (Geri & Irene) are not at My Big Finds for a pop-up, our chocolate is always in the store. Plus, My Big Finds just restocked our bars, so (if you’re local) be sure to stop by for some Father’s Day and/or graduation gifts.

My Big Finds, 129 Commerce Square Pl, Gaithersburg, MD 20878:

My Big Finds

Voices of Care

On Friday, June 12th, our chocolate bars were featured in a free community event promoting a book called Voices of Care at the Cameron Center in Wailuku, Hawaii. The book’s organizer, Carl J Powell, is a wellness instructor and good friend of a family friend we’ve known for many years. The book is a collection of real stories written by caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer's, dementia, or chronic illness.

We’re excited that our chocolate bars arrived in Hawaii without melting, and that they were a hit with everyone at the event!

You can learn more about the book by clicking the button below:

Voices of Care

What We’re Reading

Geri’s Picks

As a fan of The Terror (both Dan Simmons’s 2007 novel as well as the series), I’m always looking for books of a similar vein. I just finished reading The North Water (2016) by Ian McGuire. Although I’d already watched the 2021 series starring Colin Ferrell and Jack O’Connell (which was very well done), I thought the novel was that much more effective and absorbing.

My next read is The Abominable by Dan Simmons. In addition to The Terror, I very much enjoyed his novel Drood, inspired by Charles Dickens and his BFF (or, in Simmons’s interpretation, “frenemy”) Wilkie Collins (who is one of my all-time favorite authors, best known for The Moonstone and The Woman in White). Unfortunately, Simmons passed away this past February (though I’ve heard rumors that Simmons had some problematic opinions; which is unfortunate, since he was a skilled storyteller). I’m curious to see what mysteries The Abominable contains.

When season 3 of The Terror was announced, I immediately read The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle. I’m looking forward to watching the adaptation, especially since I enjoy actors Dan Stevens and Aasif Mandvi.

Irene’s Picks

Irene is currently on an Anthony Trollope kick.

“Most of these books deal with the role of marriage for men and women in the Victorian era. Some characters have titles and money, some have titles and no money, and some have lots of money and are seeking titles. Many of the characters have made bad decisions in their marriage choices, and are immovable from these decisions, either because of pride, societal norms, or pure stubbornness. Because these stores were often written for periodicals, the characters are written into corners. So it is fun to discover how Trollope will resolve their dilemmas!”

• The Way We Live Now

• The Eustace Diamonds

• He Knew He Was Right

• Can You Forgive Her?

• Lady Anna

Phil B.’s Picks

Phil B. (Geri’s husband) enjoys reading manga, manhwa, and light novels (in both print and audiobook formats). He especially enjoys the Isekai subgenre of high fantasy fiction, in which characters are transported to another world. His current favorite is Lout of Count's Family. Translated from Korean to English, nine volumes of this series are currently available from Seven Seas Entertainment. A tenth volume is being released this December. Plus, it’s hard to resist Raon Miru — the lout’s cute, black-scaled, blue-eyed dragon!

Phil G.’s Picks

After rewatching the 2002 series starring Damian Lewis, Rupert Graves, and Gina McKee, Phil G. (Geri’s dad) visited our local used bookstore to procure a copy of The Forsyte Saga by Nobel Prize-winning author, John Galsworthy. This copy includes three novels, originally published between 1906 and 1921. There are two more trilogies that follow, plus several interludes, collectively known as The Forsyte Chronicles. Season one of a brand-new adaptation premiered on PBS Masterpiece earlier this year, with two more seasons in the works.

For more info about the books mentioned above, as well as further book recommendations, please visit Open Book Chocolates on Bookshop.org:

Open Book Chocolates on Bookshop.org

Upcoming Events

Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’re very excited for our upcoming events August through November:

• Friday August 7th through Sunday, August 9th: Key City Steampunk Convention in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

• Saturday, November 7th through Sunday, November 8th: DMV Chocolate & Coffee Festival in Boyds, Maryland.

• Saturday, November 14th through Sunday, November 15th: DMV Chocolates & Coffee Festival in Sterling, Virginia.

• Friday, November 27th through Sunday, November 29th: Maryland Christmas Show in Frederick, Maryland.

We will be announcing additional events (September through December) as soon as more information becomes available.

If you’re local to Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Virginia, we hope to see you there!

Please visit our events page for more details:

Upcoming Events

We hope you stay cool and enjoy your summer. ☀️ ⛱ 😎

See you next time!

Best regards,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

OpenBookChocolates.com

The good news? We’ve already sent out about 400 orders! Of those 400 orders, we sent out 200 orders in just the past two weeks. We have around 200 more orders to send out. We’re working hard on preparing everything, and hope to send out the rest as soon as possible.

This is what our shipping process looks like:

1. Print out order invoices.

2. Pull chocolate bars for each order.

3. Purchase shipping labels, and print them on my Brother QL-1100 label printer.

4. Prepare ice packs (soak in water, place in freezer; once frozen, wrap in sandwich bag and paper towel to protect chocolate bars from condensation).

5. Make sure gift orders go out ASAP, and include a gift note.

6. Include the printed invoice (except for gift orders) and Open Book Chocolates menu in each order.

7. Wrap each order in tissue paper, newsprint paper, and insulated bubble wrap. Wrap orders in padded envelopes in corrugated cardboard.

8. Stick the shipping labels on each order.

9. Bring orders downstairs, and load into the chocolate-mobile.

10. Drive to the post office, and drop everything off at the loading dock. A special thanks to Anthony, who always helps us with our packages!

We’re meticulous about packing these orders, making sure the correct number of bars and flavors are included, and protecting everything from melting. We will be working all this week on preparing and sending out orders.

Unfortunately, the weather is currently not ideal for sending out orders. Yesterday through Wednesday, the temperature here is over 90 degrees. It’s supposed to cool off a bit Wednesday afternoon/evening with the rain. Thursday is a high of 60 degrees, and Friday through Saturday is in the 50s. Our current plan is to drop off as many orders as possible at the post office on Wednesday around 4:00 p.m. Then, even more orders will go out next week.

Again, we are just two people (Geri & Irene). When the video went viral, it was right before my wedding (a stressful and busy time for any bride). Post-wedding, in between packing orders, we’ve attended four events as vendors, which we booked months in advance, each with expensive vendor fees and each needing prep time. These four events were seven days total (some days being as long as 11 hours for us) plus travel (being anywhere from one hour to five hours each way).

We have visited River-Sea Chocolates three time in the past month to pick up more chocolate bars to help us fulfill orders. Typically, we visit River-Sea just once a month. This is about an hour drive for us each way. We will need to visit River-Sea at least once or twice more during the next few weeks to keep up with demand.

We are working very hard to fulfill everyone’s orders as quickly as possible. This has been extremely challenging for us both mentally and physically. River-Sea has offered to help us with order fulfillment, which is extremely generous of them, and would be extremely helpful to us. We haven’t had the time or brain power to figure this all out yet. But, once we’re done with this last group of orders, we will work on ironing out the details with River-Sea.

Thank you so much for all your support, understanding, and patience!

All the best,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

This morning, we’re working on preparing orders to drop off at the post office later this afternoon. We’re hoping to send out more than 75 orders today! Now that we’re past Mother’s Day, we don’t have another in-person event until Saturday, May 30th. So we’ll be able to go into full gear on getting all of these orders out. Thank you again for your support, understanding, and patience!

BookCon Recap

On Saturday, April 18th and Sunday, April 19th, we were in New York City attending BookCon at the Javits Center. What an incredibly crowded and overwhelming event! We handed out all the chocolate samples we brought with us, handed out many menus and business cards, and talked with so many wonderful and enthusiastic bibliophiles.

I’m so sorry to disappoint so many of you with not being allowed to sell our physical bars at BookCon because of the Javits Center’s caterers. I hope BookCon attendees will consider placing an order on our online store (openbookchocolates.com/shop) and/or visit some of the amazing indie bookstores that carry our chocolate bars across the U.S. (including The Ripped Bodice in Brooklyn).

Open Book Chocolates Review by The Food Sorceress

Here at Open Book Chocolates, we were thrilled to discover a very lovely review of our chocolate bars by The Food Sorceress, who we met at BookCon. You can read this review by clicking on “Read more” below.

The Food Sorceress

Craft Chocolate Bars Inspired by Classic Literature

What if I told you that one of the tastiest dark chocolates I’ve ever had was made with porcini mushrooms and peaches…

Read more

4 months ago · 1 like · 1 comment · The Food Sorceress

Malice Domestic Recap

On Friday, April 24th through Sunday, April 26th, we were vendors at Malice Domestic (which has been around for almost 4 decades) at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Rockville, Maryland. This was our second time at Malice, and we truly enjoy chatting with all the friendly and enthusiastic cozy murder mystery readers.

This is the same Marriott where I used to participate in SPX (Small Press Expo), selling my graphic novels (like The Plague and Doctor Caim), illustrated zines, and art prints. Whenever I do a show at this conference center, I always joke that I should wear my high school prom dress (beautifully made by my grandmother, Frances; if it still fits me) because it’s the same place where I attended my high school prom. In fact, there was an actual prom that happened Saturday night of Malice Domestic in the same building just above us. Funny coincidence!

We always have a great time at Malice, and can’t wait to do it again next year!

Annapolis Book Festival Recap

On Saturday, May 2nd, we were vendors at the Annapolis Book Festival at the Key School in Annapolis, Maryland. It was our first time at this event, and had a wonderful day interacting with all the attendees, including precocious students of all ages.

We lucked out as far as the weather goes! Usually, outdoor events in May tend to be too warm for our chocolate bars, and we have to put them in coolers with ice packs to protect them from melting. It was a little bit chilly (in the 50s and 60s), which is perfect for the chocolate bars. Plus it didn’t rain at all, which was a relief.

My Big Finds Pop-Up Recap

On Saturday, May 9th (the day before Mother’s Day), we were once again at My Big Finds in Kentlands (Gaithersburg, Maryland) for an in-store pop-up. Even though we’ve now done pop-ups numerous times inside My Big Finds, it’s always a welcome experience to meet up with faces both familiar and new. It’s also delightful to hear all about who our customers are shopping for — whether for a mother, a friend, a neighbor recovering from illness, an engagement party, or just a little self-care!

Phil and I Tied the Knot!

Last month, Phil and I got married! While stressful at times, I think our wedding turned out perfectly. We both adore Wes Anderson’s films, so our wedding was Wes-Anderson-inspired. We asked guests to dress in vintage/retro outfits in bright colors, and we used retro decor like paperboard suitcases to adorn our tables. We especially loved how our lemon cake (made by Momma Millies Bakery) turned out, with the hand-carved wooden fox toppers, and the adorable ceramic foxes my father-in-law made us. It was an absolute blast celebrating with all our family and friends. Definitely a lot of fun!

Arrow Studio & Events

A special thanks to Arrow Studio & Events of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, for helping us bring our Wes-Anderson-inspired vision to life. The venue is a beautiful historic building with wonderful arched windows at the front. And we were able to have everything (the ceremony and reception) all in one space.

Arrow Studio & Events

The Maid's Quarters Bed, Breakfast & Tearoom

A special thanks to The Maid’s Quarters in Pottsville. Phil and I always stay at this cozy bed and breakfast every time we’re in town. We love waking up to their delicious teas and breakfast selections. Plus they even carry our chocolate bars atop their mantlepiece!

The Maid's Quarters

Brigham Minnich, Blue Mountain Studios LLC

A very special thanks to Brigham of Blue Mountain Studios. He really went above and beyond my expectations of a wedding photographer. Just a really polite, enthusiastic, and creative guy. I can’t recommend him enough. And I can’t wait to see the final photos!

Blue Mountain Studios LLC

Irene’s Painting at Andra Norris Gallery

As you may know, my mom (Irene) is an accomplished abstract painter of the color field painting tradition (irenezweigart.com). Her work was recently featured in an exhibit called INTERVALS at Andra Norris Gallery (andranorrisgallery.com) in Burlingame, California (outside of San Francisco).

Click here to check out an awesome Facebook Reel of Irene’s paintings!

A Taste of “The Count of Monte Cristo” and Other Literary Classics

You can now listen to us (Geri & Irene) being interviewed by the Boston Sisters — Michon and Taquiena — on their podcast, Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters.

“The Boston Sisters talk with Geri Gallas, founder & owner (daughter), and Irene Zweig, invaluable assistant (mom) of Open Book Chocolates, a woman-owned, daughter-mother, bean-to-bar chocolate operation inspired by classical literature. like Alexandre Dumas's "The Count of Monte Cristo," and Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables." This bonus podcast is a combination foodie and book talk (from page to screen) highlighting the Monte Cristo bar, flavored with porcini mushrooms and peach extract, inspired by Dumas' novel. Geri and Irene also reveal author wish lists, and future flavors for which are available online and at select bookstores.”

To listen to the podcast, please click the button below:

Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters

Our Packaging Transformed into Book Art

Sometimes, Open Book Chocolates fans send us cool stuff via snail mail! Local artist Judy Folkenberg sent us a handmade art book she created using some of our packaging/envelopes. So we thought we’d share it here. You can find more of her work on judyfolkenberg.com. Thank you, Judy!

Surprise for Our 1,000th Customer! 🥳

As I’ve mentioned in previous Substack articles, we sent a little surprise for our 1,000th customer of our online store. We included a complimentary “Read Books, Eat Chocolates” pouch, “Read Books, Eat Chocolates” wooden pin, and brand-new Open Book Chocolates bandana!

Our “Read Book, Eat Chocolates” pouch has a silkscreened design and is made of eco-friendly, 100% recycled cotton canvas. You can fit up to 4 Open Book Chocolates bars in the pouch, as well as your literary-inspired accessories (bookmarks, enamel pins, pens, pencils, etc.). This is one of our last pouches in stock! But we’re planning on making more with a brand-new design, which will hopefully become available to customers a bit later this year.

Our “Read Book, Eat Chocolates” 1.5-inch, full-color, wooden pin is made in the USA in collaboration with The Wooden Pin (thewoodenpin.com). It has two pin posts with metal butterfly clasps and made of solid cherry wood. The Wooden Pin uses sustainable and eco-friendly materials.

I had a few bandanas printed via Printful (printful.com) as an experiment. For these bandanas, I created a design using all the wonderful book illustrations I’ve used on the packaging of our current flavors. I might consider ordering more of these bandanas in the future, since they came out really well. It definitely makes a fun fashion statement!

Upcoming Events

Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’re very excited for our upcoming events May through August:

• Saturday, May 30th: Book and Bar: Gourmet Chocolate Tasting at Finist and the Owl Bookstore in Wilmington, Delaware.

• Saturday, June 6th: Pop-Up at My Big Finds in Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

• Friday August 7th through Sunday, August 9th: Key City Steampunk Convention in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

If you’re local to Delaware, Maryland, or Pennsylvania, we hope to see you there!

Please visit our events page for more details:

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Holidays

Open Book Chocolates might just be the perfect gift for these upcoming holidays:

• Sunday, June 21st: Father’s Day.

• May through June: Graduations.

It certainly has been a busy few months for us here at Open Book Chocolates. Thanks again for all your support! 📖🍫💖

See you next time!

Best regards,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

OpenBookChocolates.com

On March 22nd, fellow Marylander and fashion queen Maggie Weber (RefashionedHippie) posted a video review of a few chocolate bars we sent her via snail mail. As of now, the video has almost 200K views on Facebook, almost 250K views on Youtube, and probably just as many views on Instagram. So that’s approximately over 650K views total.

Since then, we’ve received almost 600 orders placed on our online store, openbookchocolates.com/shop, as well as a significant number of wholesale orders for new and returning independent bookstores and gift shops. To put this into perspective, we had just under 200 orders on our online store for the entirety of 2025 (January through December). Last year, we had under 10 online store orders from late March to early May (the same time period as this year’s 600 orders). 600 orders is over three times the size of an average Open Book Chocolates Kickstarter campaign, and we continue to get more orders every day.

We’ve already sent out around 200 of the 600 orders. We have even more orders prepared to be sent out; we just have to add in ice packs for the warm weather. We’re meticulous about packing these orders, making sure the correct number of bars and flavors are included, and protecting everything from melting. We will be working all this week (today through Thursday) on preparing and sending out orders. Friday, we will need to prepare for Saturday’s pre-Mother’s Day pop-up at My Big Finds. After that, we don’t have another in-person event until Saturday, May 30th. So we’ll be able to go into full gear on getting all of these orders out!

Every day, I receive multiple emails asking about an update on orders. I wish I could individually and personally message each and every one of you myself. But if I did that, I would have zero time to work on packing orders. (I’ve set up an automatic reply instead.) That’s why I wanted to take a moment to give a detailed update via Substack.

Again, we are just two people (Geri & Irene). When the video went viral, it was right before my wedding. As you may know, a wedding is a stressful and busy time for any bride. Post-wedding, in between packing orders, we’ve attended three events as vendors, which we booked months in advance, each with expensive vendor fees and each needing prep time. These three events were six days total (some days being as long as 11 hours for us) plus travel. This includes BookCon at the Javits Center in New York City, which had about 25,000 attendees and required us to take the train up to and back from NYC (with driving to and from the train station, that’s at least 5 hours each way).

We have visited River-Sea Chocolates twice in the past two weeks to pick up more chocolate bars to help us fulfill orders. Typically, we visit River-Sea just once a month. This is about an hour drive for us both ways. We will need to visit River-Sea at least once or twice more during the next few weeks to keep up with demand.

We are working very hard to fulfill everyone’s orders as quickly as possible. This has been extremely challenging for us both mentally and physically. We are looking at our options to help us with the increased work load in the near future, but haven’t had the time or brain power to figure that all out yet.

For anyone upset about the delays, I am truly sorry and hope you’ll understand how overwhelming and stressful this has all been. We take a lot of pride in our business, and we don’t enjoy disappointing our customers. For those of you who have sent us encouraging words, and/or have just been patient and understanding, I truly appreciate your support!

As you begin to receive your orders over the next few weeks, we hope you’ll enjoy our unique, literary-inspired chocolate bar flavors.

Thank you so much for all your support, understanding, and patience!

All the best,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

Since then, we’ve had over 500 orders placed on our online store, openbookchocolates.com/shop, as well as a significant number of wholesale orders for new and returning independent bookstores and gift shops. This is over twice the size of an average Open Book Chocolates Kickstarter campaign, and we continue to get more orders every day.

While we are very excited and grateful for all these orders, they’ve come at an extremely busy time for us! Phil and I just got married two weeks ago. Furthermore, we are preparing for BookCon at the Javits Center in New York City this weekend. We will be out of town from Friday, April 17th through Monday, April 20th. Then, we have in-person events every weekend for the next three weekends after BookCon.

We are doing our very best to fulfill all these orders as soon as possible. We are just two people (Geri and Irene) fulfilling all these orders. Additionally, my brand-new husband, Phil, and my mother-in-law, Gwen, as well as my close friend (and maid of honor), Kerri, and her fiancé, Jason, have all been chipping in to help. So far, we’ve sent out over 80 orders, and have prepared about 300 orders that will be sent out soon.

Our friends at River-Sea Chocolates have informed us they have made the rest of our entire 2026 order. This is approximately 8,000 to 9,000 chocolate bars total. In other words, post-BookCon, we’ll be able to fulfill even more orders. Currently, I’ve set our online store to “Preorder” for all our current (non-seasonal) flavors, and will keep it that way until we’re able to take a detailed inventory. Most likely, we will need to make even more chocolate bars than we originally anticipated for 2026.

We fulfill orders in chronological order (oldest to newest), but try to give priority to any gift orders (birthdays, Mother’s Day, etc.). Since the weather is warming up, we are putting complimentary ice packs and insulated bubble wrap in every order.

Thank you so much for all your support, and for your understanding and patience!

All the best,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

Our April edition is a bit early, but I wanted to share this (1) before April Fool’s Day, (2) before Passover (Chag Pesach Sameach!), and (3) before my wedding!

Please forgive me for sending out so many Substack articles of late. Usually, we send out our Substack newsletter just once a month (twice at most). But there has been so much going on recently, and I want to keep everyone updated!

Pre-Orders On Our Online Store

As you may know, fellow Marylander and fashion queen Maggie Weber (RefashionedHippie) posted a video review of a few chocolate bars we sent her via snail mail. As of now, the video has almost 200K views on Facebook and 228K views on YouTube. Since then, we’ve received approximately 350 orders on our online store, and countless emails/messages. We are overwhelmed, but incredibly thrilled and grateful for all your orders, support, and enthusiasm!

We are working tirelessly to fulfill your orders, in between preparing for my wedding this week as well as for BookCon in a couple weeks!

We have now opened up sold out flavors to PRE-ORDERS! That means you can pre-order flavors that are not currently in stock. Our friends over at River-Sea Chocolates are busy helping us hand-make as many new chocolate bars as possible. We fill orders chronologically (starting from the earliest/oldest orders). Pre-orders are a way for you to reserve flavors, so you will get first dibs once a new batch of that flavor is ready. Again, we will try to fulfill orders as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

To pre-order currently sold out flavors, please visit our online store:

Shop Now!

For more information, please read our two previous Substack articles, “Thank You & Fulfillment Timeline” and “A Little Restock! 📖🍫💖” by clicking the buttons below:

Thank You & Fulfillment Timeline!

A Little Restock! 📖🍫💖

BOOKCON IS ONLY 20 DAYS AWAY!!!

We’ve been incredibly busy ironing out all the intricate details for BookCon (Saturday, April 18th and Sunday, April 19th) at the Javits Center in New York City. With the time we have left, we’ll be busy chopping up and prepackaging chocolate samples to hand out to BookCon attendees!

Bye Bye, Shipping Pallet. See You in NYC!

Last week, we prepared our BookCon event supplies to be picked up by the shippers. This was our first time using a shipping pallet, which we were given free of charge by Wholesale Pallet Pushers of Hagerstown, Maryland (thanks again to the owner, Mike). We fit fifteen boxes of varying sizes onto one pallet, including a six-foot tall pegboard, two tablet kiosks, and many, many, many menus and business cards. Having weighed everything beforehand, this is over 450 pounds of stuff. This past Thursday, the shipper picked up the fully loaded pallet, to deliver everything to the Javits Center in New York City.

How To Help Us Bring Open Book Chocolates to BookCon:

Please find below all the ways you can help Open Book Chocolates bring our literary-inspired craft chocolate bars to BookCon 2026!

1. Support us by placing an order on our online store, openbookchocolates.com/shop!

2. Support us on GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/5ca805313!

3. Support us by purchasing our brand-new merch on Bonfire: bonfire.com/store/open-book-chocolates!

4. Help us spread the word via social media and by word of mouth! Like and share our posts. Tag a friend. Comment something nice and/or an emoji. Post a pic (especially if you purchase something). Give us a shout-out. Recommend us to family and friends.

Phil and I Are Getting Married This Week!

In just a few days, Phil and I will be tying the knot with family and friends. It’s hard to believe this day is already here, since we’ve been planning it for a few years now. We both adore Wes Anderson’s films, so our wedding is Wes-Anderson-inspired. We’ve asked guests to dress in vintage/retro outfits in bright colors, and we’re using retro decor like paperboard suitcases to adorn our tables. We’re even using vintage postcards in lieu of a guest book. It’s going to be a lot of fun!

Our Wedding Favors

Of course, our wedding favors just had to be Open Book Chocolates! We made mini chocolate bars for our wedding favors. Phil had the wonderful idea to label them as literally “Wedding Favor” on the wrapper to make them very Wes Anderson. The first design in pink is inspired by Mendl’s patisserie from The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). The second design in blue is inspired by the “Savoury Snack” from The Darjeeling Limited (2007).

REVENGE IS BITTERSWEET: Chocolate Chai & Chat THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO

On Saturday, March 14th, Open Book Chocolates was at Teaism in Penn Quarter (Washington, D.C.) with Michon and Taquiena of the podcast Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters to discuss The Count of Monte Cristo — the novel, the new series starring Sam Claflin, and our chocolate bar.

We met the Boston Sisters last October in Baltimore at the Jane Austen Society of North America’s Annual General Meeting. They are so delightful, intelligent, witty, and just an absolute blast to chat with. So we were thrilled they wanted to collaborate on an event and podcast episode.

The Count of Monte Cristo is one of our all-time favorite books. I absolutely love the 2004 anime adaptation entitled Gankutsuou. Irene has even read all 1,200+ pages twice! Moreover, it was one of Open Book Chocolates’s very first chocolate flavors. We had to retire the flavor for a few years, then reinvented it in 2023.

The event at Teaism was an intimate gathering of a handful of people. It was wonderful discussing the intricacies of The Count of Monte Cristo and its adaptations with an engaged and enthusiastic group. You can get a taste of the event by listening to the podcast episode, which is already recorded and coming soon!

New Chocolate Molds

With our newest batches of chocolate bars, you may start noticing something slightly different. River-Sea Chocolates has begun using a brand-new chocolate bar mold:

“New molds have officially arrived! These have been a long time in development after hearing consistent feedback that having break apart pieces makes sharing and portioning easier and feels a little more fair when passing around a bar of chocolate.

Years ago we moved to a solid bar because we loved the clean modern look and thought they would be easier to clean.

We started using the new molds yesterday, so from now on you will see these matte bars with break lines and our logo in the center. You also may notice we went a little bit wider, which makes the bars thinner.”

We Have Our 1,000th Customer! 🥳

Thanks to fellow Marylander and fashion queen Maggie Weber (RefashionedHippie) and her viral video review of our chocolate bars, we’ve far surpassed our goal of reaching our 1,000th order on our online store. We’re planning a complimentary surprise for our 1,000th customer. More info coming soon!

Upcoming Events

Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’re very excited for our upcoming events April through August:

• Saturday, April 18th through Sunday April 19th: BookCon in New York City

• Friday, April 24th through Sunday, April 26th: Malice Domestic in Bethesda, Maryland.

• Saturday, May 2nd: Annapolis Book Festival at Key School in Annapolis, Maryland.

• Saturday, May 9th: Pop-Up at My Big Finds in Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

• Saturday, May 30th: Pop-up at Finist and the Owl (Bookstore) in Wilmington, Delaware — More Info Coming Soon!

• Saturday, June 6th: Pop-Up at My Big Finds in Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

• Friday August 7th through Sunday, August 9th: Key City Steampunk Convention in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

If you’re local to New York City, Maryland, Delaware, or Pennsylvania, we hope to see you there!

Please visit our events page for more details:

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Holidays

Open Book Chocolates might just be the perfect gift for these upcoming holidays:

• Tuesday, April 21st: National Library Workers Day.

• Monday, May 4th through Friday, May 8th: Teacher Appreciation Week.

• Sunday, May 10th: Mother’s Day.

• Sunday, June 21st: Father’s Day.

• May through June: Graduations.

Thank you so much for all your support!

See you next time!

Best regards,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

OpenBookChocolates.com

I just wanted to give everyone another update!

This past Sunday, fellow Marylander and fashion queen Maggie Weber (RefashionedHippie) posted a video review of a few chocolate bars we sent her via snail mail. As of now, the video has over 190K views on Facebook. Since then, we’ve received approximately 300 orders on our online store (selling out of what inventory we had on our online store), and countless emails/messages. We are overwhelmed, but incredibly thrilled and grateful for all your orders, support, and enthusiasm!

For more information, if you haven’t already, please read our previous Substack article, “Thank You & Fulfillment Timeline,” by clicking the button below:

Thank You & Fulfillment Timeline!

We have just added a few more chocolate bars to our online store! 🥳

Our inventory is a balancing act! We have seven in-person events lined up from April through August, including BookCon in New York City. Furthermore, we have wholesale customers (i. e. independent bookstores and gift shops across the U.S.) who stock our chocolate bars in their stores. So we have to be careful to allocate enough chocolate bars for our online store, in-person events, and wholesale customers.

This past Tuesday, we took a detailed inventory of all the chocolate bars we have in stock. This was a complex process, in part because chocolate bars that have already sold are still in our inventory. As we start to fulfill orders, we pull chocolate bars from our inventory. Having taken this inventory, we have figured out how many more bars to add to our online store. Those bars are now restocked, so please visit our online store to place your order. Please note, this is a somewhat small restock, so flavors will probably sell out again.

Shop Now

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

1. When do you restock your chocolate bar flavors? Throughout the year, we are always producing new batches of our chocolate bars. We have new batches of a selection of flavors approximately every month. We will do our best to continue to restock our online store as the year progresses. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

2. Do you ship during warm/hot weather? For warm/hot weather, we include a complimentary ice pack as well as insulated bubble wrap in your order. We typically send out chocolate bars towards the beginning of the week (Monday through Wednesday) so they won't sit at the post office over the weekend and melt. We are always monitoring the weather to make sure we take precautions against melting chocolate.

3. Do you ship internationally? We can ship internationally, but the shipping cost (and potential tariffs) to our customers abroad is always very expensive. Also, with the weather warming up, it might not reach its destination fast enough without melting. If you’d still like to place an order, please email me (openbookchocolates@email.com) with the number of bars you’re interested in. Then we can send you a shipping cost estimate.

4. What about food allergies? We use dedicated equipment for flavors with nuts. All our chocolate bars are gluten free and soy free. Our dark chocolate is dairy free. All our chocolate bars are made at River-Sea Chocolates, so please check out their "Allergins & Food Sensitivities" info here: riverseachocolates.com/terms-conditions.

5. Is your chocolate fair trade? Yes, our chocolate is fair trade. River-Sea Chocolates purchases all cacao for us, paying the farmers above fair trade prices. For more information, please visit riverseachocolates.com/terms-conditions.

6. Do you sell wholesale? Yes, we do! Please send us an email introducing your store (openbookchocolates.com/wholesale) and I’ll be happy to respond with our wholesale information.

Thank you again for all your support!

See you next time!

Best regards,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

OpenBookChocolates.com

Thank You So Much, Maggie and Everyone!

Yesterday, fellow Marylander and fashion queen Maggie Weber (RefashionedHippie) posted a video review of a few chocolate bars we sent her via snail mail. As of now, the video has almost 140K views on Facebook. And we’ve been overwhelmed with new orders! I don’t have the words to thank Maggie enough, and everyone who has placed orders, looked at our website, followed us on social media, asked us questions, and all our loyal customers.

While we are extremely thrilled for all these new orders, this all happens to come at an incredibly busy time for us, including my (Geri’s) wedding, Irene’s (irenezweigart.com) art gallery show at Andra Norris Gallery (andranorrisgallery.com), and BookCon in New York City!

Please know, we are (and will be) working extremely hard to fulfill your orders.

We’ve had over 200 orders since Sunday (yesterday), and there are still new orders coming in. This is about the size of an average Open Book Chocolates Kickstarter campaign, and will probably grow even bigger than that. We are just two people (Geri and Irene) fulfilling all these orders, in addition to preparing for BookCon (April 18th and 19th) and all our upcoming in-person Open Book Chocolates events this spring.

We will do our best to keep up with orders, but please be patient.

I just wanted to give everyone an order fulfillment timeline, so you’ll have a better idea of when you’ll receive your order.

Also, I am in the process of answering everyone’s emails and messages. I stayed up last night until 2:00 a.m. answering what I could. I will try my best to get to everyone in a timely manner!

Thank you so much for your support and understanding! 📖🍫💖

Fulfillment Timeline

• THIS WEEK: Currently, we are preparing our BookCon event supplies to be picked up by the shippers this coming Thursday, to deliver everything to the Javits Center in New York City. This is over 450 pounds of stuff that still needs to be loaded onto a shipping pallet. In between, we will be working on your orders.

• NEXT WEEK: Phil and I are getting married! We’ve been planning our wedding for the past few years, and we’d like to be able to enjoy it with our friends and family as well as each other. So we probably won’t have time to get any orders out the first week of April.

• POST-WEDDING, PRE-BOOOKCON (TWO WEEKS): We have almost everything prepared already for BookCon except for a few things here and there. The biggest task is to make hundreds (maybe thousands?) of prepackaged samples to give to BookCon attendees. So we’ll be busy chopping up bars and putting them into little, sealed baggies. In between, we will be working on your orders.

• POST-BOOKCON: We will go into full gear fulfilling all 200+ orders from our online store (as well as orders from BookCon). Additionally, we have six in-person events lined up from April through August. So we’re going to be juggling a lot all through the summer!

Upcoming Events

Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’re very excited for our upcoming events April through August:

• Saturday, April 18th through Sunday April 19th: BookCon in New York City

• Friday, April 24th through Sunday, April 26th: Malice Domestic in Bethesda, Maryland.

• Saturday, May 2nd: Annapolis Book Festival at Key School in Annapolis, Maryland.

• Saturday, May 9th: Pop-Up at My Big Finds in Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

• Saturday, May 30th: Pop-up at Finist and the Owl (Bookstore) in Wilmington, Delaware — More Info Coming Soon!

• Saturday, June 6th: Pop-Up at My Big Finds in Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

• Friday August 7th through Sunday, August 9th: Key City Steampunk Convention in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

If you’re local to New York City, Maryland, Delaware, or Pennsylvania, we hope to see you there!

Please visit our events page for more details:

Upcoming Events

Thank you again for all your support! We’re a very small business, so this all means so much to us.

See you next time!

Best regards,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

OpenBookChocolates.com

Indulge your chocolate, historical drama and literary cravings with us

REVENGE IS BITTERSWEET: Chocolate Chai & Chat THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO

WHEN: Saturday, March 14th, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: Teaism Penn Quarter at 400 8th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20004

Prepare for an unforgettable afternoon with the Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters® podcast hosts Michon and Taquiena as we savor exquisite chocolates crafted by Open Book Chocolates, featuring bars inspired by classic literary works, including the decadent “The Count of Monte Cristo” bar.

Accompanied by a warm cup of fragrant chai tea from Teaism, you'll experience flavors as rich and thrilling as Dumas's timeless tale, The Count of Monte Cristo. (A new adaptation is coming to MASTERPIECE on PBS March 2026. Check local listings.)

Tickets: $27 per person
Includes chocolate tasting samples from Open Book Chocolates, Teaism chai, Gift Bag with a choice of one (1) Open Book Chocolates bar: The Count of Monte Cristo, A Little Princess, Les Misérables, or One Thousand and One Nights. Ticket price also covers taxes, tips and processing fees.

Space is limited (ONLY 25 tickets available)

Buy Your Ticket(s)TODAY!

Help Us Bring Open Book Chocolates to BookCon!

We’re incredibly busy ironing out all the intricate details for BookCon (Saturday, April 18th and Sunday, April 19th at the Javits Center in New York City)!

How You Can Help Us:

Please find below all the ways you can help Open Book Chocolates bring our literary-inspired craft chocolate bars to BookCon 2026!

1. Support us by placing an order on our online store, openbookchocolates.com/shop!

2. Support us on GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/5ca805313!

3. Support us by purchasing our brand-new merch on Bonfire: bonfire.com/store/open-book-chocolates!

4. Help us spread the word via social media and by word of mouth! Like and share our posts. Tag a friend. Comment something nice and/or an emoji. Post a pic (especially if you purchase something). Give us a shout-out. Recommend us to family and friends.

A Tasting: Telling Stories Through Chocolate

On Tuesday, February 10th, I gave a talk and chocolate tasting at the Frederick County Division of Aging & Independence 50+ Community Center on Taney Avenue. To our surprise, the event was fulled booked, with over thirty people filling the room.

I really enjoyed detailing the process of bean-to-bar chocolate making as well as the development of our small business. Before the event, we put together gift bags for everyone attending that included one of our menus and three chocolate samples: Jane Eyre, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Frankenstein. I was extremely impressed that everyone tried The Count of Monte Cristo with no complaints, porcini mushrooms and all!

Although I’ve given talks in the past (about the historical fiction graphic novels I’ve written and illustrated), this was my first time giving one about Open Book Chocolates. I have at least one more talk planned for later this year, so I’m looking forward to adapting this presentation and tasting for a new audience.

My Big Finds Pop-Up

On Valentine’s Day (Saturday, February 14th), we once again set up our pop-up inside My Big Finds. My Big Finds is a fun and unique small business that helps support other small businesses. As a fellow small business, we very much appreciate My Big Finds’s enthusiasm and support. Over the years, I’ve discovered that one of the greatest joys of being a small business is collaborating with and supporting other small businesses!

Whenever we’re at My Big Finds, we have the opportunity to meet a variety of customers — from ones that have only just discovered us to ones who have purchased our chocolate bars many times. It’s so much fun chatting with these customers about everything from the new Wuthering Heights movie, to the book clubs they participate in, to what flavors they’re buying as gifts and for whom, and beyond.

Many thanks to My Big Finds and the customers we met on Valentine’s Day! 🥰

Who Will Be Our 1,000th Customer?

We’re approaching our 1,000th order on our online store, openbookchocolates.com/shop. At the time of publishing this newsletter, we just filled order #978. So just 22 more orders until we reach 1,000. We’re planning a complimentary surprise for our 1,000th customer! 🥳 Who will be the lucky winner?

Upcoming Events

Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’re very excited for our upcoming events March through August:

• Saturday, March 14th: REVENGE IS BITTERSWEET: Chocolate Chai & Chat THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO in Washington, D.C.

• Saturday, April 18th through Sunday April 19th: BookCon in New York City.

• Friday, April 24th through Sunday, April 26th: Malice Domestic in Bethesda, Maryland.

• Saturday, May 2nd: Annapolis Book Festival at Key School in Annapolis, Maryland.

• Saturday, May 9th: Pop-Up at My Big Finds in Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

• Saturday, May 30th: Pop-up at Finist and the Owl (Bookstore) in Wilmington, Delaware — More Info Coming Soon!

• Saturday, June 6th: Pop-Up at My Big Finds in Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

• Friday August 7th through Sunday, August 9th: Key City Steampunk Convention in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

If you’re local to Washington, D.C., New York City, Maryland, Delaware, or Pennsylvania, we hope to see you there!

Please visit our events page for more details:

Upcoming Events

We have an extremely busy spring ahead of us, so please wish us luck! 📖🍫💖

See you next time!

Best regards,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

OpenBookChocolates.com

This has been in the works since November, and we’re so excited to finally be able to share the news. BookCon will be Open Book Chocolates’ biggest in-person event to date.

As a graduate of New York University: Gallatin School of Individualized Study, it’s always a treat to visit “The Big Apple.” I’ve been to the Javits Center once before — for BookExpo America in 2015 (when I was a student at NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute, learning about the ins and outs of the publishing industry). At that time, the sheer size of Javits was overwhelming. I never dreamed I’d return someday as a vendor!

For the past few months, we’ve been working very hard to organize all the intricate details for this event. (And it’s been that much more complicated because I’ve been busy finalizing all the details for my early-April wedding.) Between the vendor fee, shipping costs, travel costs, and everything in between, our expenses are adding up fast. We truly appreciate any and all support leading up to Saturday, April 18th.

How You Can Help Us:

Please find below four ways you can help Open Book Chocolates bring our literary-inspired craft chocolate bars to BookCon 2026!

1) Support us by placing an order on our online store, openbookchocolates.com/shop!

Is there a bibliophile in your life with an upcoming birthday? Want to get a head start on Easter (Sunday, April 5th) and/or Mother’ Day (Sunday, May 10th)? Want to thank your favorite librarian or your children’s favorite teacher? Just want an excuse to treat yourself to a literary-inspired chocolate bar? Please consider placing an order with us:

Shop Now

2) Support us on GoFundMe!

GoFundMe is a great way to chip in a couple bucks. Every little bit helps. Think of it as a tip jar. 😊

Open Book Chocolates on GoFundMe

3) Support us by purchasing our brand-new merch on Bonfire!

Bonfire is an online platform that specializes in fundraising through custom apparel and merchandise. Bonfire handles the sourcing, printing, and shipping of all products on their platform.

Through Bonfire, I’ve designed some shirts and mugs with our “Read Books, Eat Chocolate” slogan. I’ve also designed some shirts with the fantastic Jane Austen quote, “obstinate, headstrong girl!”

These shirts come in a variety of colors and sizes (most go up to 2XL or 3XL, some go up to 5XL), so I hope you’ll be able to find something that catches your fancy. If you do order our merch on Bonfire, I would love to see photos! 👀

Open Book Chocolates on Bonfire

4) Help us spread the word via social media and by word of mouth!

How to support Open Book Chocolates without spending any money:

1. Like and share our posts.

2. Tag a friend.

3. Comment something nice and/or an emoji.

4. Post a pic (especially if you purchase something).

5. Give us a shout-out.

6. Recommend us to family and friends.

Open Book Chocolates on Facebook

Open Book Chocolates on Instagram

Open Book Chocolates on Bluesky

Our Official BookCon Profile!

Today, BookCon launched their exhibitor list. In other words, you can now see all the wonderful exhibitors who will be attending BookCon at bookcon26.com/exhibitors. And, of course, Open Book Chocolates is on that list! Visit our BookCon profile by clicking the button below:

Our Official BookCon Profile

As we get closer to Saturday, April 18th, I will be sharing more details about BookCon. So stay tuned!

As a small business, we couldn’t do what we do without you. We truly appreciate all your support! 📖🍫💖

See you next time!

Best regards,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

OpenBookChocolates.com

Valentine’s Day will be here before you know it. Please be sure to place your Open Book Chocolates Valentine’s Day orders as soon as possible to ensure they will arrive in time.

To receive your Open Book Chocolates order before Valentine’s Day (Saturday, February 14th, 2026), please place your order no later than Friday, February 6th. Thank you so much!

Shop Now!

Our Chocolate at Maison

We’re excited to announce that our chocolate bars are now carried at Maison, a European Patisserie in Brunswick, Maryland (maisonbrunswick.com). It’s the perfect time to stock up on artisanal, literary-inspired chocolate bars as well as delectable pastries before any more snow comes our way.

If you live in or near Brunswick, we hope you’ll go check out this delicious and local small business. Please be sure to say hello to the owner, Emma, for us!

Our Chocolate at The Maid’s Quarters

We’re incredibly thrilled to see our chocolate bars atop the fireplace mantel at The Maid’s Quarters Bed, Breakfast & Tearoom in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. We’ve stayed there a number of times, and very much enjoy their whimsical rooms and lovely breakfast.

If you live in or near Pottsville, we hope you’ll go check out this awesome B&B. Please be sure to say hello to the owner, Allyson, for us!

Wedding Bells Are Ringing

I’m getting married to my wonderful fiancé, Phil, this coming April!

Phil and I met in January 2023. A shared love for vinyl records, Japanese culture, and Wes Anderson films (Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Darjeeling Limited, and The Grand Budapest Hotel) sparked an instant connection. Phil is a middle school science teacher, and always incredibly supportive of Open Book Chocolates. You may have even met him at some of our in-person events.

Phil proposed to me in September 2024 in Luray Caverns, where we were serenaded by the famous Great Stalacpipe Organ (considered the word’s largest instrument by Guinness World Records).

Our wedding is Wes-Anderson-inspired! We’re asking that guests dress in vintage-inspired outfits in bright colors, and we’re using retro decor like paperboard suitcases to adorn our tables. It’s going to be a lot of fun!

Who Will Be Our 1,000th Customer?

We’re approaching our 1,000th order on our online store, openbookchocolates.com/shop. At the time of publishing this newsletter, we just filled order #951. So just 49 more orders until we reach 1,000. We’re planning a complimentary surprise for our 1,000th customer! 🥳 Who will be the lucky winner?

Upcoming Events

Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’re very excited for our upcoming events this month!

• Tuesday, February 10th: A Tasting: Telling Stories Through Chocolate in Frederick, Maryland.

• Saturday, February 14th: My Big Finds Open Book Chocolates Pop-Up in Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

If you’re a Maryland/Virginia/Washington, D.C. local, we hope to see you there!

Please visit our events page for more details:

Upcoming Events

Happy Groundhog Day! And Love to All Our Favorite Bibliophiles. XOXO!

See you next time!

Best regards,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

OpenBookChocolates.com

Believe it or not, Valentine’s Day is only a few weeks away. But not to worry — there’s still time before February 14th to order Open Book Chocolates for the favorite bibliophile(s) in your life. Our online store is ready to take your order!

To receive your order before Valentine’s Day, please place your order no later than Friday, February 6th. Thank you so much!

Shop Now!

New York University Alumni Profile: Geri E. Gallas (GAL ’11)

New York University recently published an alumni profile of me (i. e. Open Book Chocolates owner, Geri E. Gallas). To read the interview, please click the button below:

Alumni Profile: Geri E. Gallas (GAL ’11)

Annapolis Chocolate Binge Festival

On Sunday, December 7th, we attended the Annapolis Chocolate Binge Festival — our fourth time there as vendors! Annapolis always feels a bit magical, with its quaint historic buildings, roundabouts, and brick roads.

This event is that much more unique with its Sample Taste Tickets. Attendees can purchase these tickets, then exchange them for samples at various booths. Since we’re reimbursed for each ticket we collect, we always make sure to bring many extra samples.

Another feature that sets “Binge Fest” apart is that it’s OUTSIDE… in DECEMBER. Our second year was unseasonably warm, but all three other years so far have been pretty cold — especially when you’re outside for over five hours straight (probably more like seven). We always remember to wear many layers and bring hand warmers, hats, gloves, and anything else we can think of to stay warm!

Locally Crafted Two-Day Indoor Holiday Market at Rio

On Saturday, December 13th and Sunday, December 14th, we attended Locally Crafted’s Holiday Market — our third time there as vendors!

Locally Crafted and Locally Crafted Workshop owners Stacey, Heather, and Becky are wonderfully enthusiastic, impeccable, and delightful. Their events are always flawlessly organized, which makes our job an absolute breeze.

It was so exciting to see our lovely friend and fellow vendor, Allyson Navarro of Red Mosaic Jewelry, at this event and catch up with her. We met Ally at our very first Open Book Chocolates in-person event at Derwood Farmer’s Market back in 2018. We’ve certainly come a long way since then!

What a perfect way to finish off our 2025 in-person events!

Upcoming Events

Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’re very excited for our upcoming events next month:

• Tuesday, February 10th: A Tasting: Telling Stories Through Chocolate in Frederick, Maryland.

• Saturday, February 14th: My Big Finds Open Book Chocolates Pop-Up in Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

If you’re a Maryland/Virginia/Washington, D.C. local, we hope to see you there!

Please visit our events page for more details:

Upcoming Events

Wishing You the Happiest of New Years!

See you next time!

Best regards,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

OpenBookChocolates.com

This past Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, Open Book Chocolates was featured on Good Morning Frederick. To watch the interview, please click the button below:

Good Morning Frederick

The Banner’s 2025 Holiday Gift Guide

Open Book Chocolates was recently featured in The Banner’s 2025 Holiday Gift Guide! The Baltimore Banner is a nonprofit, digital news organization in Baltimore that provides local news coverage for the city, surrounding counties, and the state of Maryland. To visit The Banner’s 2025 Holiday Gift guide, please click the button below:

The Banner's 2025 Holiday Gift Guide

DMV Chocolate and Coffee Festival

We spent November 15th through 16th selling our wares at the DMV Chocolate and Coffee Festival. This was our third time as vendors at this extremely busy and amazing event! We sold over 600 bars over these two days — 100 more bars than last year. This was the DMV Chocolate and Coffee Festival’s last time at the Dulles Expo Center at 4320 Chantilly Shopping Center Drive, Chantilly, Virginia. The center is closing at the end of this year to become an Ikea. A new Dulles Expo Center is expected to be opening at Dulles Town Center in the old Lord & Taylor department store. So we look forward to next year’s DMV Chocolate and Coffee Festival in the new space!

Maryland Christmas Show

How did you spend your Black Friday and Thanksgiving weekend this year? We spent November 28th through 30th selling our wares at the Maryland Christmas Show in building 13 of the Frederick Fairgrounds. This was our second time as vendors. Last year, we were there on the first week of the show. This year, we were there on the second week of the show, which was significantly more crowded!

During the show, we met the owner of the Passionate Baker, who purchased some of our bars. And, of course, we could resist her Swedish ginger cookies, Linzer tarts, and Lebkuchen (German gingerbread cookies). To check out her website, please click the button below:

The Passionate Baker

December Events

Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’re very excited for our upcoming events this month!

• Sunday, December 7th: Annapolis Chocolate Binge Festival in Annapolis, Maryland.

• Saturday, December 13th through Sunday, December 14th: Locally Crafted Two-Day Indoor Holiday Market at Rio in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

If you’re a Maryland/Virginia/Washington, D.C. local, we hope to see you there!

Please visit our events page for more details:

Upcoming Events

Wishing You the Happiest of Holidays and a Wonderful New Year!

See you next time!

Best regards,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

OpenBookChocolates.com

After a hiatus during this year’s Kickstarter campaign, we’re excited to announce that our online store is now open for business: openbookchocolates.com/shop. It’s the perfect time to order gifts for the upcoming winter holidays!

Shop Now

Frankenstein

How did you celebrate Halloween this year? Here at Open Book Chocolate, we celebrated by watching Guillermo del Toro’s new Frankenstein film at our local movie theater. We’re big del Toro fans, including Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, and Nightmare Alley to name a few. We’re also fans of the film’s Victor Frankenstein and his creature — Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi. So we’ve been highly anticipating this movie! It was so much fun watching this Frankenstein’s beautiful costumes, sets, and cinematography on the big screen. We even brought a bar of our own Frankenstein (Raspberries and Icelandic Lava Salt in Dark Chocolate with Milk) with us to the theater!

Our Frankenstein Chocolate Bar

Kickstarter Rewards

Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’ve been very busy putting together our Kickstarter backers’ rewards in preparation for shipping. This past Monday, we stuffed our chocolate-mobile full of packages and dropped them all off at our local post office. That was over 150 packages in my little car!

New Pins

Our brand-new, full-color, “Read Books, Eat Chocolates” wooden pins are now available on our online store, as well as at in-person events. Photos coming soon!

New Pins

Jane Austen Society of North America

We spent October 9th through 11th selling our wares at the Merchandise Emporium of the Jane Austen Society of North America’s Annual General Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.

There was a very literary atmosphere all around — with Edgar Allan Poe’s grave and house museum just a 10-minute drive away and the James Joyce Irish Pub & Restaurant just steps away from the event.

We truly enjoyed chatting with all the wonderful Janeites from all over the country and world. And we loved seeing everyone’s amazing Regency-period outfits — very impressive!

Berlin Book Festival

We spent Saturday, October 18th selling our wares at the Berlin Book Festival on the yard of the Calvin B. Taylor House Museum. Berlin is such a cute, little, funky town just about 20 minutes or so from Ocean City. I’ve visited Berlin once before, so I was thrilled to visit again. It was our first time bringing Open Book Chocolates to that part of Maryland, and I’m thrilled to have introduced our literary-inspired bars to book festival attendees.

November Events

Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’re very excited for our upcoming events this month!

• Saturday, November 15th through Sunday, November 16th: DMV Chocolate and Coffee Festival in Chantilly, Virginia.

• Friday, November 28th through Sunday, November 30th: Maryland Christmas Show in Frederick, Maryland.

If you’re a Maryland/Virginia/Washington, D.C. local, we hope to see you there!

Please visit our events page for more details:

Upcoming Events

Find Us in Stores

We’ve been incredibly busy shipping out wholesale orders to our beloved independent bookstores and gift shops across the U.S. That means a wonderful indie bookstore near you might be freshly restocked with our literary-inspired chocolate bars!

For more information about stores that carry Open Book Chocolates, please click the button below:

Find Us in Stores

Wishing You a Cozy November and Happy Thanksgiving!

See you next time!

Best regards,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

OpenBookChocolates.com

This is Geri from Open Book Chocolates! Welcome to our monthly newsletter. We hope you’ll stick with us, but please feel free to unsubscribe if this isn’t your cup of tea.

Kickstarter 2025 = Success!

Thank you so much to the 181 Kickstarter backers who have helped bring The Maltese Falcon (Brandy and Coffee in Dark Chocolate) and Doctor Watson (Earl Grey Tea and Honey in Milk Chocolate) to life. Over the next few months, we will be very busy working to send out Kickstarter rewards!

For more information about our 2025 Kickstarter campaign, please click the button below:

2025 Kickstarter

New Menus

For those who have met us at in-person events and those who have ordered from us, you’re probably familiar with our menus. Our menus have all our business info as well as descriptions of all our flavors. We were running low on printed menus, so I just ordered more. I can’t wait until they arrive so we can start handing them out!

In the meantime, please check out our digitalized menu below:

My Big Finds

As always, we had a wonderful time at My Big Finds in Kentlands (Gaithersburg, Maryland) on Saturday, September 27th. We love talking with (and giving complimentary chocolate samples to) the curious and enthusiastic customers that flock to owner Jodi’s unique store. And we look forward to our next My Big Finds pop-up on Saturday, November 8th. In the meantime, even if we’re not inside the store, our chocolate bars are always there!

For more information about our next My Big Finds pop-up, please click the button below:

My Big Finds: November

October Events

Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’re very excited for our upcoming events this month!

• Thursday, October 9th through Saturday, October 11th: Jane Austen Society of North America, Annual General Meeting, Austen at 250 in Baltimore, Maryland.

• Saturday, October 18th: Berlin Book Festival in Berlin, Maryland.

• Sunday, October 19th: Meet the Makers 2025 by Union Kitchen in Washington, D. C.

If you’re a Maryland/Virginia/Washington, D.C. local, we hope to see you there!

Please visit our events page for more details:

Upcoming Events

Find Us in Stores

For the past few weeks, we’ve been incredibly busy shipping out wholesale orders to our beloved independent bookstores and gift shops across the U.S. That means a wonderful indie bookstore near you might be freshly restocked with our literary-inspired chocolate bars!

For more information about stores that carry Open Book Chocolates, please click the button below:

Find Us in Stores

Wishing You a Cozy Autumn and Happy Halloween! 📚🍂🎃

See you next time!

Best regards,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

OpenBookChocolates.com

We have just 5 DAYS LEFT to reach our STRETCH GOAL on Kickstarter!

We still need $7,258 to reach our $20K stretch goal, which will help us improve our packaging. For more information about our STRETCH GOAL and NEW PACKAGING, please click the button below:

Stretch Goal & New Packaging

✅ To Current Backers: If you haven't already, please consider adding our NEW COLOR WOODEN PIN and/or our "READ BOOKS, EAT CHOCOLATE" POUCH as an ADD-ON to your Kickstarter pledge!

✅ To Potential Backers: Please consider backing our current Kickstarter campaign!

Support Us On Kickstarter

NEW COLOR WOODEN PIN ADD-ON

Our brand-new wooden pins will be full color, eco-friendly, and made in the USA! For more information about our NEW COLOR WOODEN PIN, please click the button below:

New Color Wooden Pin

"READ BOOKS, EAT CHOCOLATE" POUCH

Our "Read Books, Eat Chocolate" Pouches (6.5"H x 8.5"W x 2.25" at the Bottom) are made of eco-friendly, 100% recycled cotton canvas. You can fit up to 4 Open Book Chocolates bars in the pouch, as well as your literary-inspired accessories (bookmarks, enamel pins, pens, pencils, etc.).

Support Us On Kickstarter

Please help us spread the word via social media as well as by word of mouth. We truly appreciate all your help and support! 📖🍫💖

To Current Backers: Be sure to let us know your FLAVOR SELECTIONS as soon as possible. To collect shipping addresses, we're planning on sending out BACKER SURVEYS soon after the end of this campaign.

Thank you so much!!

--Geri

Open Book Chocolates

This is Geri from Open Book Chocolates! Welcome to our brand-new newsletter. Don’t worry, this will be an infrequent (probably once a month or so) newsletter. We hope you’ll stick with us, but please feel free to unsubscribe if this isn’t your cup of tea.

Help Us Reach Our Kickstarter Stretch Goal

We are so excited that our current Kickstarter campaign — The Maltese Falcon & Doctor Watson Chocolate Bars — is fully funded. But we’re still trying to reach our STRETCH GOAL. So far, we’ve raised $10,278 to create our two newest flavors. We have 12 days left to reach our $20K STRETCH GOAL to fund our new-and-improved packaging. In other words, we need $9,722 to reach that stretch goal.

If you’ve already backed this Kickstarter, then thank you so much for your support. If not, please consider backing us. All 17 of our current flavors are available as Kickstarter rewards. And please help us spread the word on social media and by word of mouth!

Support Us On Kickstarter

Stretch Goal Info

New Color Wooden Pin Add-On

Here is the design for our new, eco-friendly, color wooden pins, now available as an add-on via our Kickstarter campaign!

For this design, I used a chalk illustration by the British artist Ford Madox Brown (1821 – 1893). Then, I added color, texture, and words. Everyone loves our "Read Books, Eat Chocolate" pouches, so I thought I'd create a wooden pin design that compliments our pouches.

We will be working with The Wooden Pin (thewoodenpin.com) on this add-on project. I have worked with them in the past, and had a very good experience with them.

For more information about our new wooden pins, please click the button below:

Color Wooden Pin

Upcoming Events

Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’re gearing up for our busy season! In addition to running our Kickstarter campaign, we’re sending out orders to independent bookstores across the U.S., and preparing for nine in-person events from September through December.

• Saturday, September 27th: My Big Finds: Open Book Chocolates Pop-Up in Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

• Thursday, October 9th through Saturday, October 11th: Jane Austen Society of North America, Annual General Meeting, Austen at 250 in Baltimore, Maryland.

• Saturday, October 18th: Berlin Book Festival in Berlin, Maryland.

• Sunday, October 19th: Meet the Makers 2025 by Union Kitchen in Washington, D. C.

• Saturday, November 8th: My Big Finds: Open Book Chocolates Pop-Up in Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

• Saturday, November 15th through Sunday, November 16th: DMV Chocolate and Coffee Festival in Chantilly, Virginia.

• Friday, November 28th through Sunday, November 30th: Maryland Christmas Show in Frederick, Maryland.

• Sunday, December 7th: Annapolis Chocolate Binge Festival 2025 in Annapolis, Maryland.

• Saturday, December 13th through Sunday, December 14th: Locally Crafted Two-Day Indoor Holiday Market in Rio, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

If you’re a Maryland/Virginia/Washington, D.C. local, we hope to see you there!

Please visit our events page for more details:

Upcoming Events

Literary-Inspired Movies

We at Open Book Chocolates don’t just love books. We love movies too! Especially adaptations of classic literature. So we’d like to ask our customers/fans/supporters which literary-inspired movie you’re most looking forward to!

We can’t wait to see the final results of our poll! And we can’t wait to watch these four adaptations when they’re released.

Online Store to Reopen in October

Our online store at OpenBookChocolates.com is open all year round except for during our annual Kickstarter campaign. In other words, we've closed our online store for the duration of our current Kickstarter campaign. Once the Kickstarter campaign is finished (early October), we will reopen our online store!

Thank you for reading our brand-new newsletter! If you haven’t subscribed yet, please click the button below. We truly appreciate all your support!

Subscribe now

See you next time!

Best regards,

Geri

Open Book Chocolates

OpenBookChocolates.com