How a Family Tradition Became a Grapevine Family Business

Images courtesy of Kilwin's Grapevine, banner photography by Laura Kellerman Studio.

Grapevine’s historic district has no shortage of iconic buildings. Some of the stores on Main Street have stood for over a century, their red brick preserved by dedicated owners and a touch of serendipity. But the sense of place that permeates the area goes beyond masonry or design. The mix of businesses in downtown Grapevine has been carefully curated to feel authentic but lively, combining boutique shops with quality dining and family-friendly retail. That environment is perfect for Kilwin’s, a confectionary that specializes in high-quality chocolate, fudge, ice cream, and other sweet treats.

The Grapevine store is a rare nationwide franchise on a block filled with solo enterprises and unique destinations, but the Kilwin’s format lends itself to the kind of community-oriented design that thrives here. The original owners probably chose this location for that reason, although the millions of visitors who travel to the area every year certainly helped. Those things were top-of-mind for the Bartlett family when they purchased the franchise rights, even if their decision came about more organically. When they took over, their 19-year-old daughter had been working there for three years.

Now, she owns the place.

From Annual Tradition to Backyard Staple

Some of Elizabeth Bartlett’s fondest memories are tied to family vacations in Florida, when she and the rest of the kids would get to visit another franchise location as part of their annual pilgrimage. For most of the family, luxury fudge was a big-ticket item you saved up to buy. 

“We’ve actually known Kilwin’s our whole life,” Bartlett said. “On family vacations, going to Kilwin’s was our favorite stop. We have a big family, and Kilwin’s has a high-end price point because they have high-quality stuff, so we would save up all year for that one trip… when we moved to Texas and learned they were opening this store, we were so excited. It was so close to our home!”

Elizabeth and her siblings grew up near the Gaylord Texan, just two miles from the Main Street store. So when she turned 16 and started hunting for a job, they popped into a familiar favorite to ask what positions were open. The owners happened to be on site, and offered a free ice cream cone with an interview. That interview became a job offer, and Elizabeth spent three years learning the business without any thought of making it her career.

“When I was in High School, I was actually taking college classes, so I was supposed to graduate with my Associate’s Degree. But COVID happened and I didn’t go in to school all of my Senior Year, and that’s around the time we found out the previous owners were trying to sell the business. My mom thought it would be great for me and my future, so I went straight from high school to being an owner. That was a strange experience; I was used to being an employee and suddenly everything relied on me. But I’ve learned a lot and it’s been great,” said Bartlett.

“I just loved my job. I loved being here. Most of the college kids who do come back, I started off working with them. It’s kind of like we grew up together… my parents raised me to imagine the kind of life I wanted and keep working hard until doors opened up. And that’s kind of what happened!”

More Than a Franchise

One of the unifying themes in just about any conversation you could have with a Grapevine business owner is the importance of community. It’s the most common response on the Economic Development survey about what makes this City special, and a key to success for small businesses of every size and type. Having a good business plan is important anywhere, but to truly thrive in Grapevine requires a deeper connection. Running a franchise created the perfect environment for the Bartlett family, because they had a reliable operations manual to pair with their civic connections.

“The great thing about a franchise is that they have all the kinks worked out. If you just follow what they tell you to do, it’s simple and easy,” Bartlett said. “So yes, we are a franchise, but we’re still very much locally-owned. My family and I have lived here for the past twelve years, right by the Gaylord. We sell Kilwin’s product, we sell their chocolate, but everything we do in the community is all us. All the Chamber [of Commerce] events we go to, all the sponsorships we do, that’s our family.”

Last summer, they had incredible success with a food drive adapted from the corporate playbook to serve a local nonprofit. The initiative worked so well, they repeated it during the government shutdown in the fall. Kilwin’s is a community staple, easy to spot at local events and recognized as much for their spacious interior and air conditioning as for their delicious offerings when festival attendees need to escape the Texas sun. But, like most businesses in the area, they do their best business at the end of the year.

“Hot chocolate was our number 1 seller this year. In the six weeks of Christmas, from the light-up night until New Year’s, we sold 6,000 cups of hot cocoa. Our highest day was 512 cups. In a day. Over the last seven years, our hot cocoa has gotten very popular,” Bartlett said.

“Of course, in Texas, the weather has everything to do with what you sell. The first week is when we sold a crazy amount of hot chocolate because it was a little bit colder, and then the last two weeks of December it got really warm and our ice cream sales started going like crazy. We hold 24 flavors of ice cream, normally, but we’re down to 12 flavors right now because we sold out.”

Learning to navigate the ebb and flow of seasonal traffic is an essential skill on Main Street, and the Kilwin’s team is still refining their approach to crowd management in the Christmas Capital of Texas. Elizabeth hopes to bring on overnight help next year, staffing the store after hours to keep production ahead of demand. She spent six months opening a second location in Waco in 2025, but has since transferred management of that store to local staff and moved back to Grapevine. These days, she lives within walking distance of the shop and can’t wait to get back into the daily rhythm of the shop (and the community) that raised her.

“It’s a big town, but it feels like a small town,” she said. “We refer to it as our movie all the time; it’s the perfect Hallmark town with our little store on Main Street. We know our neighbors, our regulars, our mailman. It feels like you’re living in a Hallmark movie.”

Sound like the perfect place for you, too? Let’s talk about where Grapevine fits into your plans. For more stories about unique individuals and businesses here in Grapevine, be sure to subscribe to the ‘Growing Grapevine’ podcast and eNewsletter.