The Hot Chocolatier in Saint Elmo serves a variety of sweet drinks and treats. This store opened in early 2023. November 21, 2024 (Photo by Megan Cooper)
The rich scent of chocolate clings to the walls and the couple inside the Hot Chocolatier store in the early fall morning. Workers begin baking and cleaning the cases filled with chocolate treats from sweet moist flaky cake to dense rich truffles.
Bradon Buckner and his wife Wendy Buckner spend almost every morning at their Market Street or St. Elmo store. Brandon never could have imagined where he and his wife would have ended up.
The dream would become the Hot Chocolatier that Chattanooga has today started as a hobby.
The Lewis Family poses for a portrait on their farm with their Alpacas. Monday, November 13, 2023. (Photo by Sammy Mckenzie)
In Wildwood, Georgia, 20 minutes from downtown Chattanooga, sits Rosie Mae’s Alpacas Farm, boutique, and coffee shop all wrapped up into one.
The unique business is owned and operated solely by the Lewis family who embarked on this journey one year ago as of November 4th. The entire property was built by hand by Max Lewis with support from his wife Meagan and daughter Rosie Mae.
“He started on the shop in January of 2021. He did it all himself, so it took a little while to get it done. So we actually didn’t open until November of 2022. Plus, processes were outrageous because of COVID,” Meagan Lewis said.
While it was a slow start to open, as soon as the Lewis family welcomed the public on their property, the business took off and hasn’t slowed down since.
“So we opened the store on November 4th of 2022 and then our daughter Sparrow was born November 29th. So that has been crazy. Then we went viral in April of 2023 and then from there on out we have been just absolutely slammed,” said Lewis.
