“I am going to miss bringing something lovely to this town,” said Karen Piehutkoski, the co-owner of Ann Arbor’s Kilwin’s.
The Kilwin’s storefront on Liberty Street will be shutting down by the end of this year. The old timey brick and mortar location’s charm that has defined the chocolatier’s indelible presence in downtown Ann Arbor for nearly half of a century comes from the old techniques, the earnest quality-over-quantity little touches and the quirky fact that you have to go out on the sidewalk to go from the ice cream side to the chocolate side.
By the time the door shuts for the last time at the end December, it will have been serving ice cream and chocolate to Ann Arborites, University of Michigan students, their families and visitors for 42 years. Piehutkoski has been considering closing for around three years.
“There’s a few reasons. Number one, Kilwin’s is no longer what I signed up for. Each store was supposed to be representative of the town, it was supposed to be different. But now they’re cookie cutter,” co-owner Karen Piehutkoski said. “Secondly, there’s not enough foot traffic downtown … and I want to do something else.” But she clarified, “I don’t want to retire. I have other projects.”
But that doesn’t mean that Kilwin’s corporate intends to be gone forever. Kilwin’s is a chain with 20 stores in Michigan, with some franchises as far afield as Chicago’s Grant Park. It was purchased by the Los Angeles-based private equity firm Levine Leichtman Capital Partners in February 2023. According to their website, the multinational high finance company has also bought several businesses, including Magnolia Bluffs Casino and Hotel to the Encore fire protection agency.
Piehutkoski said that she is going to miss her customers. She is going to miss being able to work with her daughter, old customers and new ones “who used to say ‘oh, I didn’t know this was here!”, and the memories she has made during her four decades of making candy apples and memories.
“I remember somebody proposing to their future wife in the doorway. I remember starting the whole thing and having to explain to everybody what it was,” Piehutkoski remembers. “I’ve made some wonderful friends along the way….I loved my job. I couldn’t wait to wake up and get here every day.”
But foot traffic has been down lately she said. Piehutkoski added that there was a slight recovery since the pandemic, but it is still down overall.
“Every ten years, our franchisees can be offered the opportunity to sign a new franchise agreement, provided that the owners agree to the terms of the agreement. We have signed multiple agreements with the present franchisees and provided a two year extension on their 10-year agreement while they made their decision to renew, sell, or close the store Kilwin’s corporate representatives said. “It is our understanding that they have decided to pursue other opportunities, and we support their decision, and thank them for their service to the community. Their transition opens an opportunity for a new Kilwin’s store in Ann Arbor.”
Kilwin’s has already found a new person willing to start a franchise of the company in Ann Arbor. They are currently in the market for a new location.
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While Kilwin’s spokesperson Anushka Pradhan said that they have a committed franchisee to replace the current one, new location is not going to open any time soon as they are yet to settle on a new location. In the meantime, Pradhan said that anyone with a craving for what the company has to offer can go to the nearby Plymouth location near Kellogg Park, or to order directly from Kilwins.com.
Piehutkoski concluded Current’s visit to her business by quoting something that she said her husband used to say: “’Everything has its time.’ And this store had its time.”
Drew Saunders is a freelance business and environmental journalist who grew up just outside of Ann Arbor. He covers local business developments, embraces his foodie side with reviews restaurants, obsesses over Michigan's environmental state, loves movies, and feels spoiled by the music he gets to review for Ann Arbor!
