Royal Oak Confectionery Gayle’s Chocolates Departs in May | Eater Detroit

"After 34 years at 417 S. Washington Ave, the longtime Royal Oak confectionery will close over Mother’s Day weekend on Sunday, May 13, as proprietor Gayle Harte plans to relocate the business to a retail shop in Cottonwood, Arizona while continuing to accept online orders. Founded as a home-based truffle business in Huntington Woods in 1979 and moved into the current two-story Royal Oak space in 1984, it grew into a nationally recognized maker of handmade chocolates—shipping nationwide and producing novelty items from 7.5-pound “stuffed” chocolate turkeys to chocolate $100 bills and chocolate high heels—with products featured in Neiman Marcus catalogs and the Empire State Building gift shop. The shop also claims to have been the first to serve espresso in Royal Oak, offering lattes and a signature truffle-infused “Haute Chocolate,” though the espresso bar has recently ceased operations. To mark the farewell, the owner is offering promotions: a free box of original 4-piece truffles with Easter orders of $50 or more through April 1, and a free box for the first 100 customers on Harte’s birthday, April 21. Gayle Harte is noted as one of America’s first women chocolatiers, having made signature truffles and specialty chocolates for over 30 years." - Brenna Houck