Woodstock's Ethereal Confections moving forward with relocation plan

A Woodstock chocolate shop, café and bar wants to open at its new location in the spring, the business' owners recently announced.

Ethereal Confections, a specialty “bean-to-bar” chocolatiering company, wants to move from its Benton Street shop to the 10,000-square-foot former Elks Lodge building, 140 Cass St.

Mary Ervin, Michael Ervin and Sara Miller own the business and announced expansion plans in February.

In September, the city of Woodstock agreed to lend the trio $150,000 toward the project, which is projected to cost more than $1 million in building expenses alone.

The move will more than double the business’ space and afford the company a chance to expand its chocolate production, offer event space and an incubator kitchen, and run a speakeasy-style basement bar.

In the new space, the shop owners also want to offer community nights that feature local art, crafts, music and literature. The café would expand and offer additional menu items and chocolate.

Ethereal Confections announced in December that it hopes to be at its new location by the spring.

“We need a few weeks to get a better sense of the schedule for moving and opening, but look for us around the time the farmers market opens for spring on the Square in May,” the owners wrote in a statement. “Thank you, everyone, immensely for your patience and support. It’s been busy, busy getting ready for Christmas and also keeping up with everything required to open a new space.”

The permitting and layout processes are on the way to completion, the owners said.

“It’s taken a long time to get to this point, and we are very thankful we’ve finally gotten here. The last hang-ups were with final approval from the bank to complete financing ... and completing all of the permitting required,” according to the statement. “We still have some layout work to do based on some feedback from the fire marshal, but it’s nothing that’s going to hold us up from going full steam ahead.”

The business began selling products at the Woodstock Farmers Market and later moved into a 400-square-foot storefront on Main Street before moving to its current location at 113 S. Benton St.

The owners were not available to comment Monday.