West Des Moines Chocolate Shop Delivering on Valentine’s Day Romance

At Chocolate Storybook, Steve and Meg Shearer get to eavesdrop on some of the most romantic moments of couples’ lives — whether one of their customers is tucking a sparkly diamond ring inside a heart-shaped box of chocolates, building mystery and intrigue by sending lovers on scavenger hunts, or ordering a dozen decadent chocolate-covered long-stemmed strawberries and penning a sinfully sweet message to match.

“It’s a happy time,” Meg Shearer says. “Nobody comes in when they’re in a bad mood.”

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“They come in happy and leave happier,” adds Steve.

Chocolate Storybook is housed in a little white house at 1000 Grand Ave. that lures drivers off the busy street with its charming red and white candy-striped awnings. In the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, customers — especially men — will be clustered two-deep around the candy counter.

Women tend to plan in advance, Meg Shearer says, while men are more often procrastinators. “They come in at the last minute,” she says.

The Shearers recommend ordering ahead of time, especially the chocolate-covered strawberries — fast becoming a signature Valentine’s Day item alongside caramels, which are cooked in an open copper kettle, the old-fashioned way, to achieve the ultimate in taste and consistency, Meg says.

By the time Feb. 15 rolls around, they will have gone through 12,000 long-stemmed strawberries shipped in from California. Because they are perishable and are best when eaten within 24 hours, the Shearers will run an overnight shift Monday to make sure customers get the sweet freshness they’ve become accustomed to over the past decade that the Shearers have owned the store.

“Affordable and luxurious,” Meg Shearer says, “they’re the perfect gift.”

They’re also tradition worthy.

The only other time of year Chocolate Storybook offers the delectable delight is on Mother’s Day. During the first year the Shearers owned the store, they sold 150 boxes of the strawberries or about 1,000 berries.

Another favorite pairs the tart Granny Smith apple with sweet chocolate and caramel. Chocolate Storybook dips about 15,000 of those a year.

The Shearers, who live in Winterset, have also tripled wholesale shipments and have developed corporate and retail markets. Eighteen of those accounts are for Valentine’s Day sweets at places like hospital gift shops, grocery stores and the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines.

They use country fresh cream, real butter and pure chocolate. “You can’t just put it in the microwave and melt it down,” Meg Shearer explains.