Shuttered Beaufort chocolate shop is reopening. ‘We’re not changing the candy’
A well-known Beaufort chocolate shop is reopening after closing unexpectedly last year, according to the son of its founder.
The Chocolate Tree opened in 1980.
The renowned candy store, located at 507 Carteret St., became legendary for its chewy caramel and pecan tiger paws, English toffee, almond bark, peanut brittle, and chocolate turtles made on-site. It was a must-visit destination for tourists, as well as music and movie stars passing through, including The Pointer Sisters and Sally Field. For locals, it was a cherished tradition to pick up chocolate-covered strawberries or chocolate alligators for special occasions.
In May, the store unexpectedly closed without explanation, stunning loyal customers.
Tim Green, the son of Pat Green, one of the original owners, said legal issues involving ownership of the business within the family had to be sorted out before he could reopen the beloved confectionary. His mother, who had turned over the reigns of the business years ago to a sister who later passed away, was stunned when the doors of her “baby” were suddenly closed.
“Like the death of a child,” Tim Green said.
As soon as the store closed, Tim Green began working on restoring ownership of the shop to his mother’s side of the family so The Chocolate Tree could be reopened.
Now that the legal issues are settled, The Chocolate Tree has a new lease on life and will reopen in the fall, said Green, a chef and chocolatier with years of experience in the restaurant business, who is leading the shop’s comeback.
He and his mother, Pat, who is 84 and still owns the building, are leaving Monday for a candy convention, where they will scope out new equipment.
Green says he plans to remodel the building and update the equipment and create an online presence for the long-time business. Programs that were successful under Pat Green’s run, such as candy-making classes and all-you-can-eat nights, are being brought back as well.
The recipes, however, will not change. “We’re not changing the candy,” Green said.
Tim Green was just starting high school when his family got into the chocolate business.
“It was my Mom’s baby,” he said. “It was her dream.”
Pat Green and Bonnie Towle opened The Chocolate Tree in 1980, and they quickly became an overnight success, though that was not their original intent. It all began when their husbands built a candy display case to showcase examples of the cooking lessons they offered. However, they discovered that more customers were interested in purchasing the candies than in taking the lessons. A few years later, Green bought out Towle and continued to manufacture and sell chocolates.
In 2010, Green was inducted into the International Candy Hall of Fame, akin to a film actor or director winning an Academy Award.
Speaking of the movies, The Chocolate Tree provide five pounds of chocolate every few days to the set of “Forrest Gump” when it was filmed in the city in 1993.
“The cast and the crew were going through a ton of chocolate throughout the entire movie,” Tim Green said.
But a curious fact is the box in the famous box of chocolates scene was empty.
This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 12:08 PM.
