It’s been a treat to watch customers’ reactions to our flagship chocolatepaper store in Roanoke, Virginia. Some come in with a greeting card list and a mission; some come to wander-shop for a gift; many come after lunch and head right to the truffle case, carefully selecting just the right one to call “dessert;” others come to investigate this store they’ve never been to, and stop dead in their tracks three feet inside the door, close their eyes and inhale.
“I had no idea how good it was going to smell in here!” — a smiling first-time chocolatepaper customer
chocolatepaper owners Mark Burkett, Stan McCulloch and Matt Burkett have been tickled with the reaction to their store since the grand opening on June 23, 2006.
These retailers are no strangers to Roanoke. After a career in banking, Mark Burkett opened his first shop, Cards-Cards-Cards in the Historic Roanoke City Market Building in August of 1985. On November 5 that same year, the lead story of The Roanoke Times opened with the sentence, “Monday’s flood washed away Mark Burkett’s dream,” referring to the disastrous Great Flood of ’85. He lost his young store, and returned to banking until he moved to Richmond, Va. and opened the next CardsCardsCards with Stan McCulloch in 1991. Three years later, they expanded the store and concept to create what is now the acclaimed Carytown card and gift store, Mongrel.
Roanoke was never far from their hearts — especially with family and friends here. In 2006, they created the concept for their new store, joined by Roanoker Matt Burkett, Mark’s nephew. chocolatepaper opened with great fanfare on a beautiful Friday night at The Shops at Springwood Park. The store offers dozens of lines of the finest chocolates in the world, amazing gift papers, greeting cards and gifts. In honor of their long history with the Roanoke Valley, in 2007 they created a custom chocolate casting of — what else? — Roanoke’s Mill Mountain Star.
|  | | | chocolatepaper owners, Stan McCulloch, Matt Burkett and Mark Burkett under the Mill Mountain Star. |
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