Their chocolate is award-winning. Their headquarters’ mint trim is iconic. And their family is known all throughout Oak Cliff.
While the doors of CocoAndré may be closing for good, owner Cindy Pedraza is just getting things started.
Pedraza co-founded CocoAndré with her mother 15 years ago at a time “people were still scared to come to Oak Cliff,” and few thought a gourmet chocolate shop would succeed.
“And we built a whole community,” Pedraza says.
As one of the original small businesses in Bishop Arts, Pedraza has seen the neighborhood develop and customers celebrate all of life’s milestones.
Now, she plans to take the business national.
CocoAndré already distributes to Whole Foods, and Pedraza wants to start providing the high-quality chocolates Cliff dwellers have come to love across the country. And because Pedraza’s family lives in Oak Cliff, and even runs another business down the street (Olmo Market in Elmwood), it doesn’t feel like a complete farewell to the neighborhood that she started out in.
“The next chapter isn’t scary,” Pedraza says. “I feel like no matter what, we’re going to succeed.”
CocoAndré’s closing date isn’t yet finalized. The storefront will close at the end of this year if a buyer is found, or at the end of 2024’s first quarter if it takes a little longer to find the right fit for the shop.
Currently listed for $1.24 million, Pedraza hopes the store goes to a small, family-owned business that will usher in the next wave of Oak Cliff-owned businesses in Bishop Arts.
