CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — Gearharts Fine Chocolates will be holding its annual open house at its flagship location in Charlottesville on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. And this year, owner Tim Gearhart and partner Bill Hamilton have plenty to celebrate.

The store is celebrating its 25th anniversary as well as a major accolade, having been named the best chocolate shop in the country by USA Today back in June.

Reflecting on the store’s success over the past 25 years, Gearhart said he had no idea his business would become as successful as it has, calling its growth “very organic.”

Hamilton agreed, recalling how the two were very conservative going into the new venture because of how untested the idea was in Charlottesville.

“Most real big chocolate shops are in large metro markets,” he said. “So, it was [an] unknown quantity as to whether we could have great uptick for kind of a high dollar [product].”

The two partners met when Gearhart became Hamilton’s first pastry chef at his family’s restaurant, Hamiltons’ at First & Main, in the mid ’90s. There, the two chefs developed a friendship, and began exploring the world of artisan chocolate.

It all started with a popular ice cream, created for a dessert plate called “Chocolate Many Ways.” The plate featured several iterations of chocolate desserts, including an ancho chili, cinnamon and orange ice cream developed by Gearhart and Hamilton.

It was a bold flavor profile, particularly for the time, but it was a hit. And that success led Gearhart, who grew in Charlottesville loving its food scene, coming up with an idea for how he could expand into the pastry world.

“I mentioned to Bill, I really thought that an artisan chocolate shop would do really well here,” Gearhart said. “Which kind of was something I just thought, kind of said in passing, and he was like ‘Oh wow, that could be a pretty fun idea. Let me know if you ever want to do that and you’re looking for a partner.'”

After spending the next six years honing his skills as a pastry chef in places like England, Boston and Wyoming, Gearhart eventually returned to Charlottesville and decided the time was right to start his shop.

Hamilton was no stranger to starting a business, having started Hamiltons with his wife Kate five years prior as well as Sticks Kebob Shop with some other former employees, which also launched in 2001 like Gearharts.

But for Gearhart, just signing the bank loan was “a huge step.” However, while he never imagined his business would reach the heights it has, he said “it never really crossed my mind that it wouldn’t do well.”

Along the way, Gearhart and Hamilton have launched a sister brand, James River Chocolate Co., which includes unique products like “Gunny’s Bark,” developed by Gearhart as an homage to his time in the Marine Corps and is sold at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

“You never know where this business can take you,” Gearhart said.

The two owners are looking to celebrate all of this history at Saturday’s open house, which is free and open to the public. Gearharts has a few collaborations lined up for the event, including one with SugarBear Gourmet Ice Cream, which will be recreating an ice cream sandwich with cinnamon, ancho chili and orange flavor profile that started it all.

The open house will also feature public tours, demos, free truffle rolling for kids and lots of giveaways, new products and sampling. Those in attendance will also get 20% off.