Chocol’ Art Combines Love of Art and Chocolate

Chocol’Art Inc.
Owner: Louwauna and Joby Obert
Address: 120B N. 13th St., Rogers 72756
Phone/Fax: 621-8797
Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Startup date: April 24

Louwauna Obert tried to make a bouquet of chocolate-covered strawberries for her cousin’s birthday a couple of years ago, but “it was a mess,” she said. So, Obert spent the next year practicing with it and even taught herself to make them heart-shaped.

In the process, those around her taste-tested and saw her creations, and they began to request orders.

“I had 76 orders for roses at Valentine’s Day and I didn’t have a shop open,” Obert said.

Obert and her husband have since leased 675 SF of space and opened a shop just behind the car wash on 13th Street in Rogers. Obert has kept her day job for now, but she gets up at 4 a.m. to make special orders at the shop before going into work. Then at 5:30 p.m. she returns to help close the shop.

Obert is developing a niche not only for her bouquets of chocolate-covered strawberry roses, but also for being able to create chocolate-covered strawberries that include an image of a corporate logo. It’s a popular treat for company events or for gifts to clients.

She can also create chocolate-covered strawberry Razorbacks.

Another popular item at Chocol’Art is the Survival Kits. The kits come in a paint can and include not only chocolate, but other essentials in the survival theme. The Red Neck Survival Kit, for example, includes RC Colas, Moon Pies, beef jerky, Duct tape and chocolate.

Chocol’Art offers 25 to 30 different survival kits. They cost $30.

The Oberts invested $5,000-$8,000 to start the business, but they hope to make their investment back in the first year of operations. Louwauna Obert hopes the shop will eventually be profitable enough for her to work their full-time.

Chocol’Art has one employee who handles the shop during open hours.