Handcrafted by Bissinger’s, part of the St. Louis business that has sold chocolate and confections in the Central West End for nearly a century, said Monday it will close its storefront in the neighborhood within the next two weeks.

When the Maryland Avenue store closes at the end of the day on Feb. 16, it will mark the first time since its 1927 founding that the business does not have a presence in the neighborhood. It said that “dwindling foot traffic in the neighborhood makes continuation of business untenable,” in a statement issued Monday.

“We are eternally grateful for the decades of support and loyalty by the community including our regulars who we have come to know by name,” said Kate Turner, managing partner of sister company, 23 City Blocks Hospitality Group, in the statement.

She added that the business “certainly enjoyed our time serving the finest confections and wine selections in the Central West End.”

The business was founded on McPherson Avenue as Bissinger’s, and moved to Maryland Avenue in 2008. Then, in 2017, it was purchased by 23 City Blocks Hospitality Group and “reconceptualized” under the name Handcrafted by Bissinger’s.

Another “sister company,” Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier, “still owns and operates a retail location in Plaza Frontenac as well as The Chocolate Shoppe in their downtown headquarters,” the statement said.

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