Coco + Hazel owners Laura Hinkle (on left) and Carrie Walker. (Photos courtesy of Coco + Hazel)
Looking to sweeten their routines, two friends have taken over a local milkshake shop with locations in Tuckahoe and Bon Air.
Carrie Walker and Laura Hinkle bought Coco + Hazel last month.
Walker, the owner of Richmond Creative Counseling, and Hinkle, who works at Capital One, have known each other for about a decade. Walker said they were both interested in taking on a new venture on the side and found a business-for-sale listing that turned out to be Coco + Hazel.
“This June I was at the beach and we were texting about how it would be fun to do something on the side that has nothing to do with health care or anything we’re currently doing,” Walker said.
They felt that could bring new energy to the business, which already had changed owners once since founder Chelle Bravo opened its first location in 2019.
Coco + Hazel’s menu features milkshakes that come with slices of cake and pie in addition to other toppings.
“We realized how little we had seen online about Coco + Hazel or heard about it in the past couple years since it opened. … We decided this would be a fun project for us to restore it to its original glory,” Walker said.
The duo bought the business from Himabindu Barola and Pavithra Burla, who owned it for just over a year after acquiring it from Bravo. Walker and Hinkle paid $120,000 in a deal that includes Coco + Hazel’s leases on its two locations, in the Tuckahoe Shopping Center in Henrico’s West End and in Bon Air at 2733 McRae Road, near the intersection of West Huguenot Road and Forest Hill Avenue.
The Tuckahoe shop was the original location and the McRae outpost followed two years later.
With Walker and Hinkle at the helm, changes are on the way for Coco + Hazel. They plan to, among other things, introduce smaller-sized, lower-cost versions of the company’s 24-ounce specialty milkshakes, which often feature pieces of cake or pie in addition to ice cream and toppings.
“A $15.99 shake that you can’t finish is fun for a novelty, but nobody is going to come every week to get that. We started coming up with all these fun ideas to change it and make it a more profitable business,” Walker said.
They’re also switching ice cream brands, changing from Tillamook Ice Cream to Lynchburg-based Rookie’s. They say it’s a way to further differentiate the Coco + Hazel experience.
Though it’s a longer term plan, they’re also thinking about introducing boozy milkshakes to the menu.
“We agree there’s a market for that. If we can get this basic business model down to where we want it, we can really start to play with stuff like that to figure out what makes the most sense,” Hinkle said.
Also under consideration is a third location, with Chester being of particular interest because Walker and Hinkle think there’s a gap in that part of the region for something like their concept.
Walker and Hinkle plan keep their jobs with Richmond Creative Counseling and Capital One while they run Coco + Hazel.
The sale of the business was brokered by Dan Scherotter of Richmond-based Filament Business Advisors.
Coco + Hazel owners Laura Hinkle (on left) and Carrie Walker. (Photos courtesy of Coco + Hazel)
Looking to sweeten their routines, two friends have taken over a local milkshake shop with locations in Tuckahoe and Bon Air.
Carrie Walker and Laura Hinkle bought Coco + Hazel last month.
Walker, the owner of Richmond Creative Counseling, and Hinkle, who works at Capital One, have known each other for about a decade. Walker said they were both interested in taking on a new venture on the side and found a business-for-sale listing that turned out to be Coco + Hazel.
“This June I was at the beach and we were texting about how it would be fun to do something on the side that has nothing to do with health care or anything we’re currently doing,” Walker said.
They felt that could bring new energy to the business, which already had changed owners once since founder Chelle Bravo opened its first location in 2019.
Coco + Hazel’s menu features milkshakes that come with slices of cake and pie in addition to other toppings.
“We realized how little we had seen online about Coco + Hazel or heard about it in the past couple years since it opened. … We decided this would be a fun project for us to restore it to its original glory,” Walker said.
The duo bought the business from Himabindu Barola and Pavithra Burla, who owned it for just over a year after acquiring it from Bravo. Walker and Hinkle paid $120,000 in a deal that includes Coco + Hazel’s leases on its two locations, in the Tuckahoe Shopping Center in Henrico’s West End and in Bon Air at 2733 McRae Road, near the intersection of West Huguenot Road and Forest Hill Avenue.
The Tuckahoe shop was the original location and the McRae outpost followed two years later.
With Walker and Hinkle at the helm, changes are on the way for Coco + Hazel. They plan to, among other things, introduce smaller-sized, lower-cost versions of the company’s 24-ounce specialty milkshakes, which often feature pieces of cake or pie in addition to ice cream and toppings.
“A $15.99 shake that you can’t finish is fun for a novelty, but nobody is going to come every week to get that. We started coming up with all these fun ideas to change it and make it a more profitable business,” Walker said.
They’re also switching ice cream brands, changing from Tillamook Ice Cream to Lynchburg-based Rookie’s. They say it’s a way to further differentiate the Coco + Hazel experience.
Though it’s a longer term plan, they’re also thinking about introducing boozy milkshakes to the menu.
“We agree there’s a market for that. If we can get this basic business model down to where we want it, we can really start to play with stuff like that to figure out what makes the most sense,” Hinkle said.
Also under consideration is a third location, with Chester being of particular interest because Walker and Hinkle think there’s a gap in that part of the region for something like their concept.
Walker and Hinkle plan keep their jobs with Richmond Creative Counseling and Capital One while they run Coco + Hazel.
The sale of the business was brokered by Dan Scherotter of Richmond-based Filament Business Advisors.
I’ll bring my Glucose meter with me!
Good move for the smaller portions. Maybe look into adding bubble tea & bingsu. The Korean bakeries have this figured out – add some pastries to the mix as well. More welcoming environment, if people want to hang out they’ll buy more.
Agreed. They should definitely consider boba and pastries given how many kids are nearby. Their current product lineup is great for an Instagram photo, but I haven’t ever gotten a shake there due to them being too large/messy to eat.
Yeah we went once (I think it was $12.99 or $13.99) and not only was it too much for two the cake was not fresh. 3 owners and 4 years tell me it needed a revised focus too. Small portions and bubble tea sound like a great idea.
It’s essential for us to focus on the quality of the products we serve. During the sale transition, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that our baker makes nearly everything from scratch. We can’t speak to how quality control was handled before we took over, but we have definitely implemented some changes to make sure baked goods are changed out regularly- no one wants to eat cake or cookies that have been sitting around for days! We’re excited to play with the flavor profiles our baker developed and offer them in portions and products that are more accessible to more… Read more »
Why be the 1000th place to offer bubble tea in Richmond? Adding normal sized desserts to the Instagram friendly ones is a good idea.
Good idea with regard to prices. I remember when I could get a kiddie’s cone at High’s Ice Cream for a nickel. Today, I have to get a home equity loan in order to buy ice cream for all the grand kids. I have heard of inflation, but even the bridge has only gone from a nickel to about 70 cents.
Warming up the atmosphere would certainly be nice in Bon Air. I haven’t been to the Henrico location. Welcome! looking forward to the change.
Thank you so much! We have some couches, carpets, new wallpaper, and other fun furniture/art arriving to Bon Air this weekend and next week and can’t wait to spruce it up and make it feel like a warmer, more welcoming place. It’s such a great, large space and we love seeing people hanging out working on their laptops, enjoying our espresso drinks during the day. We’re most excited to explore creating a nice outdoor patio since the current patio is not the most child/pet friendly (by the road). We’re just trying to stay somewhat tethered with all the big ideas… Read more »
Lordy – now I’m craving one of those decadently delicious-looking milkshakes topped with yummy cake. That’ll blow my A1C for certain!
Best wishes, ladies, to you both for tremendous success!
Thank you so much! Your support means a lot to us.
Maybe offer little milkshake/cake flights. That would be fun
Chester sounds like a great idea! Please keep accessibility in mind. If you need someone with wheels to help with a walk through. We have a little taster 😉
A $16 shake….and they don’t put bourbon in it or nothing?
Nope cowboy, no bourbon.
Stopped at your Bon Air location Sunday morning for an ice coffee and something with protein. The iced americano with a little cream was fantastic, excellent coffee. Ham and cheese croissant was flakey and delicious, under $10 for both!! I’ll be back. Service was efficient and friendly too. You’re off to a good start.