Chocolate and gelato store coming to Tysons Corner Center this summer

A 140-year-old Italian chocolate manufacturer is setting up shop in Tysons — and no, a golden ticket won’t be required for entry.

Venchi Fine Italian Chocolates will open a boutique store in Tysons Corner Center, its first outside of the New York tri-state area, the company announced yesterday (Tuesday).

Expected to open late this summer, the store — or ChocoGelateria, to use the company’s term — will occupy approximately 470 square feet on the second floor near Macy’s. A spokesperson confirmed the shop will take over the Blue Nile showroom, as Fairfax County permit records indicate that the jeweler is relocating within the mall.

“As Venchi continues to expand its footprint outside the NYC area, we selected Tysons Corner Center because of its proximity to Washington D.C. and the complementary mix of brands within the Center,” Venchi CEO Davide Cravero said in an emailed statement. “We look forward to becoming the go-to fine Italian chocolate and gelato choice in the area.”

According to its website, Venchi can trace its origins back to 1878, when 20-year-old founder Silviano Venchi started experimenting with making chocolate in two bronze cauldrons in his Turin, Italy, apartment.

The company now boasts 150 retail boutiques in 70 countries and sells 50 chocolate recipes, along with 90 Gelato flavors. The Union Square store in New York City includes a 45-foot-long, 10-foot-high chocolate waterfall, which it claims is the largest in North America.

Venchi says it uses entirely raw ingredients, a reduced amount of sugar, and no artificial ingredients, citing its values as verissimo (authentic), allegrissimo (fun), and buonissimo (delicious).

Recent arrivals at Tysons Corner Center include the toy store Egg-cellent and the Canadian fashion boutique Aritzia. Other upcoming tenants include the fast-casual Chopathi Indian Kitchen, which was first announced last summer, and a stall called Soricha Tea & Theater.

The mass COVID-19 vaccination center in the mall’s former Lord & Taylor store delivered its last shots on Friday (March 25).