Morkes Chocolates opens in downtown Huntley after move from Algonquin

HUNTLEY – A chocolate shop that offers various sweets and freshly made doughnuts each day opened in downtown Huntley to fanfare this week, the owner said.

Customers throughout Huntley have steadily visited Morkes Chocolates, taking advantage of the shop’s outdoor patio seating, since the chocolate shop opened its doors at 11801 Main St., owner Claudia Kendzior said.

“It’s been great,” Kendzior said. “We’ve been really welcomed by Huntley.”

The shop is the first occupant of a new 5,400-square-foot commercial building built at the former Sawyer-Kelley Mill site in downtown Huntley.

The building project should help the village kick off its broader downtown overhaul, which is well under construction, Huntley officials have said.

The Morkes family has operated a storefront in Palatine since the 1960s, offering specialty chocolates. Kendzior independently owns the Huntley store with her husband, Rick.

The Kendziors' move to Huntley comes after they operated a Morkes in Algonquin for nearly seven years.

Along with its signatures truffles, caramel squares and other sweets, Morkes Chocolates in Huntley brews coffees, from espressos to mochaccinos, and makes doughnuts fresh each morning, Kendzior said.

Equipped with free Wi-Fi, the store has both outdoor and indoor seating. A party room located in the back of the store for families and businesses can be reserved Monday through Friday for up to two hours at no charge, Kendzior said.

“It’s my vision to offer a place for people to come and relax,” she said.

The new shop operates from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.