Unpromising outside: faded paint, store hours painted on cardboard, a block from the El.
Call me a hypocrite, but Blasius Chocolate Factory surprised me.
Know how in Hershey, PA, you can smell chocolate for miles around? That doesn’t happen here. Instead (like the neighborhood), you notice Blasius’ warmth & appeal only once you’re inside.
Blasius Chocolate Factory: Your Next Easter Tradition (If It’s Not Already)
For many Kenzos (& folks from Port Richmond), Blasius’ chocolate is an family Easter tradition going WAY back. Like, “Your great-grandma can’t remember an Easter without Blasius chocolate” back. During February and March, the shelves are packed with the staples: chocolate bunnies, crosses, and GIANT coconut eggs (complete with personalized name inscription, if you wish).
But if you’re looking for less traditional Easter basket options, Blasius has still got your back. You can buy one of those chocolate Easter bunnies riding a chocolate Harley Davidson. There’s also chocolate elephants, turtles, pistols, and (get this) Power Rangers.
The shop, again, reflects the industrial look of the neighborhood–which is appropriate, since it’s one of the few factories still churning out what it was making 90 years ago.
Upon entering the shop with two of the neighborhood kids, I was proudly informed that the fillings for the chocolates are all made in back. The chocolate itself (Mercken’s, which is high-quality stuff) is melted down in big copper pots. Once crafted, the chocolates come rolling out on a conveyor belt into the shop itself, where customers can watch begloved employees box the chocolates fresh & straightaway restock the shelves.
Handiwork aside, these creations are still way more inexpensive than the fancy chocolatiers downtown. Blasius gets away with this because they’re only open from November through Mother’s Day–during the “good candy holidays”–which also means that they don’t have to pay for AC all summer.
I’m a weirdo, so I got a dark chocolate molasses pop (which was delightfully fluffy) & dark chocolate-covered ginger. The kids got normal stuff: a chocolate pistol (for the future cop), some white chocolate hearts 50% off from Valentine’s Day (for the little lady).
If you’re not a frequenter of Kensington, Blasius is a good candidate for Easter basket stocking (or if you “just need some chocolate”. If you grew up in that area, know that it hasn’t changed–and it’s worth going back to get your Easter candy there, just like Mom did.
Who: People who like chocolate. People who have kids who like chocolate. People who have mothers who like chocolate. People who have significant others who like chocolate. Especially around Easter/Christmas/Valentine’s Day/Mother’s Day.
What: Really good chocolate at really good prices. And sometimes it looks like a Power Ranger.
Where: 1849 E Venango St, Philadelphia 19134
When: Mon-Fri: 9–4. Sat: 9–3. Sun: 10–2.
Why: It’s good chocolate at good prices. It’s a local small business. It’s a Kensington-Port Richmond Easter tradition. And where else are you going to buy a chocolate Power Ranger?
How (to pay): They take Visa and Mastercard, even for small purchases, which is great.
How (to get there): SEPTA Market-Frankford Line (Tioga Station), Bus 3, Bus 5
Little Marissa :: Big City 