At Kilwins in Old Town, the scent of chocolate, warm waffle cones, and freshly made fudge greets you. But for owner Holli McElwee, the sweetest part isn't behind the glass.
It is the people.
When McElwee thinks about what she is most thankful for, she starts with faith, family, and a community she never expected would become home.
A Colorado native and CSU graduate, McElwee once imagined heading to New York City to work in television. Instead, Fort Collins became the place where she built a career, raised a family, and took the biggest risk of her life.
Kilwins had been part of her story for years. As a college student, she stopped in for peanut brittle to take home to her father. Over the holidays, they shared it while playing cards. Her father has since passed away, but those simple moments, the taste, tradition, and time together, stayed with her.
When the longtime Old Town shop closed in 2022, the loss felt personal. McElwee had dreamed for years about owning an ice cream shop and simply making people happy, though she had set the idea aside for her corporate career.
Then she found a note from her six-year-old daughter: "I luv Kilwinz be kuz my mommy is gouy to own it an I like their candy."
The dream was still there.
With her husband Quinn's support, McElwee leaped. She traveled to Michigan to train and reopened Kilwins in May 2023. The first year brought long days and a steep learning curve. Quinn stepped in at home with their three daughters, handled bedtime and homework, and gave her room to build something new, while McElwee's own mom and aunt traveled hundreds of miles to help in the shop.
As a mother, McElwee hopes her daughters see more than a business. She wants them to see passion, determination, and what it means to keep going when a dream gets difficult, and know family will be there when they find dreams of their own.
The community showed up, too.
From the beginning, McElwee felt deeply supported. Some customers still stop in several times a week, occasionally buying one piece of chocolate to check on her. Business leaders have mentored her, advocated for her, and supported the shop. Those relationships, some stretching back more than 20 years, are why she describes Fort Collins as a "great big neighborhood."
That sense of belonging is especially meaningful as Kilwins celebrates 30 years in Old Town. The Fort Collins location opened in 1996, and McElwee is its third owner. Children who came for their first scoop now return with their own children and grandchildren.
She sees those traditions unfold every day. One customer recently came in to handpick chocolates for his wife on their 18th anniversary, something he had done for years. To McElwee, those rituals make the shop special: being trusted with the details of someone else's celebration. It's all about making life's little and big moments so SWEET!
Inside, the experience is sensory. Small batches of world-class fudge, corn, and brittle are cooked in copper kettles, hand-paddled and cooled on marble tables. Waffle cones are made fresh, caramel apples are dipped by hand, and chocolates and other confections are created in the store. About 80 percent of what the team sells is made locally in the kitchen, and guests are welcomed with free fudge and ice cream samples.
That care extends to special event favors and corporate gifting, with customized baskets and treats featuring business logos for clients, employees and occasions.
Yet the mission is simple.
"Our number one job is to make people happy, create memorable experiences and have fun," she says.
That extends beyond celebrations. McElwee has welcomed customers carrying difficult news, grief and heartbreak. Chocolate cannot change what they are facing, but kindness and a small moment of sweetness can offer a brief place to land.
Gratitude also shows up in the way Kilwins gives back. The shop supports over 60 schools, nonprofits, teams, and community organizations each year. Its partnership with CSU is especially full circle. Fort Collins-made fudge travels to Ram meetups around the country, offering alumni far from Colorado a literal taste of home, and McElwee is proud to employ CSU Rams students and even a supervisor alum.
The connection is especially meaningful. She once sat in a CSU classroom never imagining Fort Collins would become home. Now the business she took a chance on helps carry a small piece of that home to Rams across the country.
Giving back reflects what she calls "heart-led leadership," modeled by her parents, mentors, and early bosses. The community has poured into her life, and she believes in pouring back.
Kilwins began as a place tied to memories with her father. Today, her daughters are watching her create something of her own while generations of local families continue making memories inside the same Old Town storefront.
There is plenty to be thankful for in a life like that.
And at Kilwins, gratitude comes with chocolate.
Kilwins Fort Collins makes about 80 percent of its confections in-store, from ice cream to fudge and caramel apples to corns, brittles and hand-dipped chocolates. Guests can enjoy complimentary fudge and ice cream samples, while individuals and businesses, alike, can create customized corporate gifts featuring company logos, hand-curated for clients, employees, celebrations and holiday giving.
“There is so much to be thankful for: family who believes in you, a community that shows up, and the chance to give love back.”