Mall Treats
See's Candies and Nespresso coffee bring two essential food groups to NorthParkCenter
California chocolatier See's Candies continues its Dallas expansion with a store opening in a very prime, centrally located spot: NorthPark Center. The store will open in November, making this the first permanent location of See's inside the 635 loop.
Also opening in NorthPark is Nespresso, a coffee stand that sells coffee in little single-portion pods from mega-national company Nestle. According to a release, the Nespresso store is slated to open sometime in the winter. Chocolate and coffee – you could almost live on those two food groups alone.
See's
Founded in 1921, See's is known for its eye-catching, black-and-white decor; staffers in white uniforms; and a willingness to distribute free samples. Signature items include the butter cream and milk chocolate bordeaux; peanut brittle; and Nut & Chews bar with nougat, almonds, and honey in dark chocolate.
The stores allow customers to buy chocolates by the individual piece and create their own assortments. Some flavors are available only at stores, including the "Scotch Kiss" with honey marshmallow enclosed in soft caramel. A pound of assorted chocolates starts at about $17.
For many years, See's opened temporary seasonal kiosks in malls around Dallas during the holidays; the candy company began its permanent expansion into Dallas in 2012. Its stores are all located in the deep 'burbs, such as at Stonebriar Centre. The NorthPark store will be located on level two, near NorthPark Cafes.
Nespresso
Nespresso, which sells portioned coffee, will open sometime in the winter, on level one between Neiman Marcus and Dillard’s. A release says the NorthPark location will be the first-ever boutique within a mall.
It represents Nestle's attempt to get into the coffee market. The emphasis is on easy-to-use machines; everything is pre-portioned in little disposable plastic aluminum containers. Strong dislike for the disposable plastic containers.
The stand will also serve a light menu of savory and sweet selections, with specially trained Nespresso baristas. (Because the machines are easy to use, how special can the training be?) Nespresso will sell those easy-to-use machines with a menu of 19 coffees.