New Office Space

We now have a real office in The Chocolate House.

For years my office has been wherever there is space.

At first it was Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and Starbucks in Manoa when all I had was a kitchen. When I opened a store, it was a nice desk up front in the shop where I could meet every single person that walked in. When we expanded to a second kitchen, I moved into the old kitchen into the former ingredients closet. I also had two babies in the process so had one desk in the baby room as well.

Then for a little while in the pandemic, when we were closed, the closed shop was my office. Then I felt like I went backwards. I went back to the shop. Then to the ingredients closet in the kitchen that returned to its original kitchen. I returned to Manoa locations such as Manoa park and the library to work. And all throughout, the garage was my go-to and my meeting spot.

Then this year, when I felt I heard God say, “Take the upper room,” I knew He was talking about the room that become vacant just above the chocolate shop and kitchen. It was a big financial risk to take on a space that is even bigger than our current space giving us the biggest footprint we’ve ever had in our 10 years. As most businesses were cutting down on overhead and office space which we’ve always done and struggled with a lack of space, this wasn’t only going to give us a square foot or two of more space we really needed, but a whole lot more.

All I know, is I got that familiar peace from God that this was the right move. Fast forward praying, negotiating, praying, discussing, praying, repairing, designing, decorating, etc, I sat in the big, beautiful, and bright new space I call, “The Chocolate House” and just sat in it to take a breath from the nonstop additional work that seemed to pop up in 2024!

 And in that moment, I felt His quiet whisper, “This is for you too.” OMG…I never even thought about it that this place of peace we were creating for chocolate friends and the community, was a place God knew I longed for in my heart too. A place to set down my laptop and leave open and walk to the bathroom and then return without having to pack up and “get out of the way” or worry about it getting stolen. It was a place for me to focus and work and be efficient and encouraged that we were growing. New challenges ahead and it was time. Time for this growth.

And so, I now find myself with an office for not only myself, but for my team, upstairs in a big beautiful room with large windows and views of the green Manoa mountains and the sound of happy people opening and closing the chocolate shop door downstairs.

Thank you God.

Finding peace by piece:

I write all this to say that no matter where your office is, God sees you. Keep doing the important work that you are doing and know that it’s not where you are that matters, but what you can do and for who. Keep going.