"Anyone can be an artist. But when you start with a good product, you are more likely to have success," Nikki Heinrich told the Loudoun Times-Mirror about the craft room at The Painter's Cottage. She co-owns the shop at 23 N. King Street.
She was talking about paint, but the line fits much of what opened downtown this fall. Since mid-September, the new and expanded storefronts on King, Market and Loudoun Streets have added a DIY craft room, a candy kitchen open to view, a counter for European-style sipping chocolate and a bigger bookstore. That bookstore marked its move with a terrarium bar. Down the block, a gift shop lets you blend your own room spray for $15. These shops are set up for staying a while. With First Friday tomorrow, November 6, and the Town's holiday calendar a month away, this is the first season these doors face the downtown crowd together.
Two Chocolate Counters a Few Streets Apart
Downtown Leesburg picked up two chocolate shops within weeks of each other. Each is built around something different.
Kilwins opened at 17 S. King Street on Sunday, September 13, The Burn reported, and held its Town ribbon cutting on October 8. The Town of Leesburg's announcement lists chocolates, fudge, caramel apples, caramel corn, brittle and premium ice cream. It also notes that the candy-making happens in an open kitchen where customers can watch. The store's location page names Nancy Carter and Frank Batchelder as owner-operators. It lists hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. That makes it one of the latest-open stops on King Street on a Friday night.
The Chocolate Palette is around the corner and up the hill at 212A Loudoun Street SE. It held its ribbon cutting on Thursday, September 17, and Leesburg Living described the storefront as the business's permanent home downtown. Owner Cheryl June specializes in European-style sipping chocolates and handcrafted desserts. The menu includes Danish æbleskivers, which are round pancake balls, along with signature tarts. According to the shop's About Us page, June is a military spouse who got interested in baking while living overseas, which explains why the menu leans toward Europe.
So the two shops cover different occasions. At Kilwins you watch fudge being made and leave with a box. At The Chocolate Palette you sit down with a cup of something thick and warm. On a cold November evening, the Loudoun Street counter is where you go to stay put.
Paint, Plants and a Bigger Room on Market Street
The Painter's Cottage opened at 23 N. King Street, Suite 125, with a ribbon cutting on Saturday, September 19. Denise Berg, Nikki Heinrich and Diane Hill, three artists and friends, run it together. Berg owned The Painted Pig, an artisan shop in Lovettsville, until it closed several years ago.
The front of the shop sells artisan, antique and vintage home décor alongside jewelry, soaps, teas and honey. Berg told the Times-Mirror that most of the items are one of a kind. The back room holds the DIY supplies, including Dixie Belle paint and Iron Orchid Designs transfers, and the owners plan regular crafting workshops for all skill levels. Anyone hoping to refinish a sideboard before Thanksgiving guests arrive can ask about the workshop schedule at the counter.
One block over, Birch Tree Books & Plants moved next door, from 11 W. Market Street into a larger space at 9 W. Market Street. The Burn reported that the new room has more book shelving and a bigger houseplant area. The woman-owned shop marked the move with a grand-opening costume party on October 30. The party included a ribbon cutting, a scavenger hunt, cider and a mini terrarium bar. Its posted hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Building a terrarium, painting with a chalk-style finish and watching fudge being made share the same idea as a sipping-chocolate counter. Each gives you a reason to stay longer than a purchase takes. That matters most on the one night a month when downtown runs late.
The Stops at a Glance
| Stop | Address | What you do there | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kilwins | 17 S. King St. | Watch candy being made in the open kitchen, then pick up fudge or ice cream | 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Sun–Wed; 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Thu–Sat |
| The Chocolate Palette | 212A Loudoun St. SE | Sipping chocolate, æbleskivers, tarts | Call ahead |
| The Painter's Cottage | 23 N. King St., Suite 125 | One-of-a-kind décor and gifts, DIY craft room | Call ahead |
| Birch Tree Books & Plants | 9 W. Market St. | Books and houseplants in the expanded space | 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Mon–Sat; 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sun |
| The Global Local | 102 Loudoun St. SW | First Friday spray bar and candle bar | 5–8 p.m. on Nov. 6 |
| October One Vineyard tasting shop | 7 Loudoun St. SW | First Friday wine tasting | 5–9 p.m. on Nov. 6 |
Building Friday Night Around the Closing Times
Two First Friday events on Loudoun Street SW are confirmed for November 6. At The Global Local, 102 Loudoun Street SW, the spray bar runs from 5 to 8 p.m. Walk-ins blend a custom room or body spray for $15. The candle bar is also open, and the shop recommends reserving a spot because those fill quickly on First Fridays. The listing says October One wines will be poured in the shop during the event. A few doors away, October One Vineyard is hosting a First Friday tasting at its 7 Loudoun Street SW tasting shop from 5 to 9 p.m.
The staggered closing times set the order of the evening:
- Before 6 p.m.: Birch Tree Books & Plants on West Market Street, which closes at 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
- 5 to 8 p.m.: The Global Local's spray bar, or the candle bar if you reserved ahead.
- Until 9 p.m.: The October One tasting at 7 Loudoun Street SW.
- Until 10 p.m.: Kilwins on South King Street, which stays open latest on Fridays.
The Painter's Cottage and The Chocolate Palette fit the same walk, but call to confirm evening hours before planning around them.
The Corner Still Coming Together at 101 S. King
One downtown storefront has changed hands but hasn't reopened yet. Ebisu Sushi & Thai at 101 S. King Street closed permanently by early September, The Burn reported, after opening in January 2025. The next tenant is Shibuya Sushi & Bar. As of The Burn's September 30 report, it was hiring a head sushi chef and working on its liquor license, with no opening date announced. A Loudoun County business filing lists the trade name under MBD Group LLC at that address. For now it belongs on a watch list for First Friday, not on the route.
Where November Hands Off to December
These shops are heading into their first holiday season downtown, and the Town's calendar sets the dates. The Town of Leesburg's holiday schedule lists the holiday tree lighting on the Town Green for Saturday, December 5, at 6 p.m. The holiday parade follows on Saturday, December 12, at 6 p.m., with a rain date of Sunday, December 13.
November is the month to try these counters and craft rooms while downtown keeps its everyday pace, and to book a candle-bar seat or a Painter's Cottage workshop before the parade weekends. Gifts poured, painted or picked out by hand take a little lead time, and the month between tomorrow's First Friday and the tree lighting covers it.
If you live within walking distance of these streets, the new storefronts are part of what your address offers this season. If you're curious what that address is worth, Beckwith Bolle and the Carter Braxton team can help you see it clearly. Request a confidential home valuation and consultation, and we'll talk through how downtown Leesburg's fall changes show up in the value of homes nearby.
