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 Fran Bigelow
Proprietor, Fran’s Chocolates
“Are you the Fran? Oh, I just love your chocolate – especially the caramels!” Fran Bigelow appreciates the travelers who crowd her new downtown Seattle store, some of whom quickly re-pack their suitcases with souvenirs for their return trips home. With nearly 30 years in business, her namesake Fran’s Chocolates has established a family livelihood and legacy, garnered countless awards and exported Seattle’s fancy for fine, artisan chocolate as far as the White House.
What is it about your chocolate that attracts visitors to your stores and cultivates fans around the world?
I am amazed and gratified at how personal the business is. When I’m in our retail stores many customers share their personal Fran’s Chocolates stories with me. I love this connection with our customers. It is one of the most satisfying parts of the business.
You have a new downtown Seattle store near the Pike Place Market, museums and hotels — how many of your customers are travelers?
When we opened the downtown store at 1st and Union we expected travelers to make up less than 20 percent of our customers. It has been an education for us to see a much higher number of travelers coming into the store, over 50 percent of our customers in the peak travel months. This has really helped our business especially during the traditionally slower chocolate season of summer.
Your son and daughter work for Fran’s Chocolates now. What does that mean for the family and the future of the business?
They work very well together. Each has separate parts of the business. It says the business will go on into the next generation and I’m thrilled. I’m just so proud to see them carry it through.
Your chocolates have made strong impressions on the current residents of the White House. You must be flattered.
It couldn't please us more that the President and First Lady enjoy our chocolates. Many visitors are curious and want to know which ones are their favorites [the President prefers Fran’s Smoked Sea Salt Caramels in Milk Chocolate while the First Lady prefers Fran’s Dark Chocolate Caramels with Gray Sea Salt].
Why does tourism matter for Seattle and for Fran’s Chocolates?
We Seattleites tend to think about our friends who come to visit, but we’re not aware of the multitudes. It takes those people in our hotels, at attractions, in the market, on the waterfront and on ferries to make a vital downtown core. Tourism is a vital part of Fran’s overall business, too. We’ve discovered that in addition to visiting a Fran’s retail store, many tourists establish an ongoing relationship with Fran’s and continue to order chocolates on-line after they return home.
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