In 1958, Elvis Presley was inducted into the U.S. Army, the beatnik look was in fashion, and Bromilow’s Chocolates was established in Passaic County.
Nearly seven decades later, this charming chocolate shop in Woodland Park is still going strong—and it’s as popular as ever. Bromilow’s was founded by Harry Bromilow, a carpenter looking for something to keep him busy in the wintertime. He bought a candy shop from a Swiss chocolate maker on Garret Mountain and turned it into a place still known for its high-quality ingredients, delicious treats and unique location.
Today, Ginny Monk (with her husband, Steve) and her sister, Bonnie Stewart, are third-generation owners of the chocolate store, which is famous for its buttercrunch, homemade toffee, caramels, chocolate-covered pretzels and peanut butter meltaways (my favorite).
Valentine’s Day is all about chocolate-covered strawberries, says Monk, adding that they also have the traditional heart-shaped boxes filled with a choice of milk, dark or white chocolate.
While the shop has changed with the times—it now has a website and ships its chocolates—it still has the same cozy feel that it had when it opened, says Monk, with the same footprint of the original building. There’s also a second location in West Caldwell.
All of the chocolate is made on-site (except for the sugar-free line), and some of the molds that are used for Easter chocolates, such as the bunnies and other animal shapes, are original from the time Monk’s grandfather owned the business.
“Our customers all grew up with us,” Monk says. “We have people whose father would buy them a Valentine’s Day heart filled with chocolate, who are now buying them for their own kids.”
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