Fishers’ version of “Willy Wonka”. Inside the new Kilwins confection shop.

Adam is the owner of Fishers’ Kilwins store, and primarily bought it to teach his four boys about business.

But what does it actually cost to open a confectionery shop in the Fishers District? 

(1) How much does it cost to open a Kilwins in Fishers?

“Between $600,000-$700,000 all in,” Adam explained. This put them at the higher-end of what Kilwins estimates it takes to bring one of these to the community.

In Fishers’ case, it was partly because they built in a “cold dark shell” (new building) versus an existing space. 

Adam shared a few specifics to give you an idea:

• The large Kilwins sign: ~$9k, which Adam opted to get the biggest one possible since they face 116th Street**
• Electrical ~$70k, a case where this would have been much cheaper if the building already existed
• Plumbing ~$80k
• HVAC ~$45k, they have specific temps and humidities to keep the chocolate stable
• Drywall ~$25k, same high cost reason as electrical
• Initial franchise fee ~$40k
• The Kilwins filigree wallpaper costs ~$800/roll 

**This location on 116th Street sees almost 36,071 vehicles daily, with slightly more traffic heading eastbound.

(2) What’s something surprising about the confectionery business?

The fancy chocolates aren’t actually money makers. Those beautiful sea salt caramels and truffles? They’re incredibly labor intensive. Each piece is hand-marked and hand-sprinkled with salt at Kilwins’ Michigan facility.

The real margins are in the stuff they produce in-house. Things like their fudges, dipped cookies, pretzel rods, dipped krispies, and ice cream.

And unlike many chocolate shops, Kilwins controls production from bean to end product. Adam shared a chocolate shortage decades ago that pushed Kilwin’s to become a true chocolatier.

(3) Location strategy in a brand new building that’s still leasing?

Being an early tenant in a new building might scare some owners, but Adam saw the path.

He knew they would open next to their neighbor Kura Sushi initial traffic, with Cava (their first Indiana location) opening soon. Add two hotels, many other restaurants, and a brand new 7,500 seat Fishers Event Center within walking distance and you’ve got new potential customers every day.

“You’ve got folks coming to the District, people at Torchy’s Tacos, and hotel guests who are new faces daily,” Adam explained.

(4) The Mudsock connection

Every Kilwins names a signature ice cream flavor with the word “mud” in it. 

For Adam, the choice was obvious – “Mudsock Mud.”

But he took it further by, calling his friend Scott at Mudsock Youth Athletics “ Hey, we’ve got this ice cream named Mudsock Mud, and I would love to do something that benefits you.”

They were all in. Now, every tub sold generates a donation, settled quarterly. 

About 21 tubs have sold in 2 months of being open – so I’d say their partnership is working. 

Mudsock Mud is a top 5 out of 24 flavors. Off the cuff, Adam thought cookie dough and cookies & cream were probably the best sellers overall.

(5) Behind the scenes insights

That massive marble table up front weighs 1,200 pounds and is used for their Mackinac Island style fudge-making process. 

Their staff breaks down what Adam describes as “Willy Wonka sized 10-pound chocolate bars” to make everything from chocolate-covered Oreos, Rice Krispies, to their surprisingly unique marshmallows.

Must try according to Adam: The marshmallows. They’re made in house.

If you want to catch the “theater” of fudge-making? Evening hours are your best bet, and yes, they’ll let you sample right off that marble table.

(6) You’re 60 days into this. It’s still early, but would you do it again?

With 22 team members (mostly part-time high school students), Adam credits his store manager, team leaders, and team members for the strong start. 

“Yes. I’d do it again if I knew I’d get lucky again with our team.”

(7) What’s next?

For Adam, this is more than just a business – it’s a classroom (and future classroom) for his four sons (ages 9,6,3,1). 

Most business owners would be busy enough running one business, but Adam stays busy by still running his consulting business alongside Kilwins. He’s focused on creating a place where his boys can learn entrepreneurship hands-on.

“The consulting business would be hard to teach them business practices and life lessons,”

“But this? This they can see, touch, and learn from every day.”