Last May, a famous candy store that inspired Forrest Gump closed down in South Carolina. Located in a tourist spot in the south of the state, The Chocolate Tree store, which was part of American popular culture, closed after 50 years sweetening the life of the inhabitants of the city of Beaufort. A sad news that again reflects the inability of small shops to compete with an increasingly digitalized market and difficult to cope with rising prices of supplies.
Forrest Gump´s sweet inspiration
There are very few people left on this planet who have not seen the film Forrest Gump. If this is your case, I recommend you to see it as soon as you finish reading this article. Awarded an Oscar for Best Picture and having received an Academy Award for Best Actor, its protagonist, Tom Hanks, tells the story of a young man with functional diversity who ends up becoming a national hero. Love, humor, history, this story brings together all the ingredients needed to be one of the best films.
According to the locals in Beaufort, the film was closely linked to The Chocolate Tree shop, as they said that the boxes of chocolates that appear in it were inspired by the boxes that the shop had. They claim that film crew members, including Sally Field, used to go to the store on their breaks. We all remember the famous words “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get”. Upon hearing it, his image inevitably comes to mind, sitting on a bench in Georgia with a box of chocolates, waiting for the bus to arrive.
The Chocolate Tree
No more and no less than 50 years are those that The Chocolate Tree has kept its doors open to the public. Its display case featured more than 60 different types of chocolates; handmade truffles of flavors (raspberry, chili), candy turtles and also options for those who prefer no sugar. Inspiration for the film Forrest Gump and being the sweetest meeting point of the city of Beaufort, announced that it was closing its doors, stopping production on Tuesday 27 May, and closing definitively on Thursday 29 May. The news has shocked the locals, who received with surprise and sadness the news.
What’s going on with the small shops?
The presence of small shops in cities is decreasing. Wherever you look, the usual stores in the neighborhoods have been disappearing and being replaced by franchises of big brands. The worst, is that this affects small businesses in any sector; food, retail, shoe store, sweets, crafts, hairdressers, among many others. What is their direct competition? The big chains and online sales. In the case of The Chocolate Tree, we can see a clear example. A family business with a history of 50 years, symbolism of a city is forced to close its doors because it can not cope with the situation.
The United States can address the big brands that replace those small companies that have closed down because they could not compete in an increasingly competitive market. However, both shops and chains targeting niche markets suffer equally. These are chocolate shops, craft shops or party goods. Chains such as Joann Fabrics and Party City (articles for parties), are starring massive closures, since they are unable to cope with the rise in prices of supplies (fuel, electricity, rent, gender). The other side of the coin is made up of customers, who have stopped going to these establishments and have sought more accessible and affordable options online.
When it comes to candy stores, Hershey and Mars are the direct competitors. Unfortunately, what happened to The Chocolate Tree will continue to happen until we get to the point where all of our purchases will be made in supermarkets and online.
Want to know what other stores have been forced to remove products from their shelves?
