Stepping down as owner of The Chocolate Bar in Ellon was a bittersweet moment for Kira Rattray.
For more than a decade, Kira has been a friendly face in the popular Ellon café and chocolate shop.
But due to health reasons, Kira has decided to step down.
Although she says she will miss her amazing customers, Kira is happy in the knowledge that Jo Wilson, who has worked at the popular venue for the past seven years, is taking over as the new owner.
We chatted to Kira about her decision to say goodbye to her beloved café and also find out what exciting plans Jo has for the café going forward.
“I gave birth two years ago, and I’ve been left with a few lasting health problems since,” Kira explains.
“It was mostly related to arthritis and things that affect the joints, so being on my feet all day really isn’t ideal.
“If it wasn’t for that, I’d probably still be going ahead myself.”
Kira: ‘I’ve made some of my best friends through the shop’
Taking a step back from The Chocolate Bar will also give Kira, 41, the chance to spend more time with her family.
She adds: “This allowed me to take a step back and say: the little one will only be little once. I can go back to work again any time in the future.”
Kira was involved with the cosy café before she bought it from previous owners. She supplied chocolates to the café from her wholesale business, Chocolat Passion.
Her official last day as the owner was Saturday June 28.
“My favourite thing about running The Chocolate Bar was the customers,” adds Kira.
“That’s the part I’m really going to miss – all the relationships you build.
“I’ve made some of my best friends through the shop.
“And I have loved seeing all these little traditions forming for customers and being a part of them.”
While Kira says she will miss the cafe’s “hustle and bustle”, it is also a “relief to be able to relax and take things in [her] own stride.”
“But like I said to the team,” she adds, “I’ll be coming in and I’ll just get to sit and drink coffee and chat.
“I’m quite looking forward to being a customer instead.”
New owner at The Chocolate Bar in Ellon starts today
This isn’t the end of The Chocolate Bar though, as new owner Jo Wilson is taking over the café and shop today (Tuesday July 1).
Jo has worked at the cosy Ellon eatery on and off for the last seven years.
“I’m excited and nervous,” says Jo, 41, “it’s a bit of a mixture.”
Working as her own boss will suit Jo well, she says, as she raises two children with the serious inherited health condition, Glutaric aciduria type 1 (GA1).
“My middle child, Emilia, is ten. When she went to nursery, I would always stay within a five-ten minute distance of her,” explains Jo.
“So that led to me sitting in The Chocolate Bar having a coffee and a cake while she was in school.
“There was a running joke that I should get a job here – and then it actually happened.”
The mum of three says she won’t be changing much at The Chocolate Bar to begin with, aside from adding some new furniture.
She is planning to simplify the menu too.
“It all works well at the moment, so we’re trying not to do too much too quickly,” she adds.
In the future though, Jo may open The Chocolate Bar in the evenings, offering wine, cheese, beer and nibbles.
Jo also plans to improve accessibility at café and shop in the future.
Conversation