Truffle Hill Chocolates shop destroyed by vandals moves to new location in Excelsior

Truffle Hill chocolates shop reopening

A year after vandals destroyed a popular West Metro chocolate shop, the staff is once again hustling to reopen in time for the busy holiday season. But this time, their temporary closure was for the sweetest of circumstances.

EXCELSIOR, Minn. (FOX 9) - Truffle Hill Chocolates will re-open in a new location this week, almost exactly one year after being destroyed by vandals.

The Lake Minnetonka chocolate shop made headlines last year when burglars caused more than $25,000 worth of damage and destroyed all the products, a few weeks before Christmas.

Now, the store is moving a mile down the road to downtown Excelsior, as the owners look for more space and increased foot traffic.

Marshall Morehead said while they had already purchased the building on Water Street before the burglary, it feels good to get a fresh start.

"What we’ve done is take Truffle Hill to the next level, while keeping our chocolates that people have loved for 30 years at the focal point," he said.

A 19-year-old from Shorewood and a 20-year-old from Minnetonka were charged in the case at the start of the year.

Truffle Hill Chocolates in Tonka Bay burglarized, all candies destroyed

A popular chocolate shop in Tonka Bay was burglarized this week and all of its products were destroyed.

The community rallied behind the business to re-open at the time, as the Christmas season is usually their most profitable.

"It was an incredibly difficult December for us," said Morehead.

While the old location was an iconic Tonka Bay landmark, Morehead says the new store is eight times bigger than the previous location, allowing them to offer 10 times the amount of product.

The new store is at 345 Water St. and opens on Friday at noon.