Kilwins Traverse City Stocks Up on Sweets for Easter Weekend Rush

Chocolate cost Easter shoppers about 14% more this spring than a year ago, according to retail data firm Datasembly, yet Kilwins Traverse City General Manager Abby McClure said demand never paused: Easter remains one of the busiest stretches of the year for the downtown confectioner.

The Traverse City location, part of a 178-location chain founded in Petoskey by Don and Katy Kilwin in 1947, extended its hours to 10 a.m.-9 p.m. on Good Friday and Saturday before closing Easter Sunday. Seasonal staffing additions in production, packaging and customer service helped the shop absorb the holiday surge.

McClure said customers routinely buy holiday candy months before Easter, which means Kilwins' kitchen crew plans ingredient orders and fudge production runs weeks ahead of the rush. That in-house, from-scratch production model has been a hallmark of the brand since its founding nearly 80 years ago, and it depends on supply chains that can hold through volatile commodity markets.

Those markets have been punishing. Cocoa futures surged past $12,000 per metric ton in late 2024 before retreating to roughly $3,300. Shoppers, however, haven't seen that relief: major chocolate manufacturers raised prices as much as 20% during the spike, per Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute analysis, and haven't reversed course. Over five years, the full cost of an Easter basket has climbed 71%, with candy accounting for roughly three-quarters of that increase, according to CouponFollow analysis.

For downtown Traverse City, the Easter weekend serves a function beyond fudge and gummy candies. The holiday draws early-season visitors alongside loyal local customers, giving Front Street retailers a revenue bridge between the slower winter months and the tourist-heavy summer that builds through late spring.