At lunchtime on Monday, a steady line of customers trailed from the counter to the door of André’s Confiserie Suisse in Overland Park.
The restaurant and sweets shop has built up a loyal following in Overland Park since the 70-year-old brand expanded to Johnson County.
Since announcing the Overland Park storefront’s closure a few days ago, owner Brigitte Gravino said those longtime customers have been showing up in droves to grab their last lunches and Swiss chocolate treats.
At the end of the year, the Kansas City, Missouri-born brand will wrap up its time in Johnson County. André’s will close its Overland Park location at the end of December, after nearly 25 years in business.
André’s is at 4929 W. 119th St.
- The shop occupied a space at the Hawthorne Plaza shopping center, just off 119th Street and Roe Avenue in Overland Park.
- Andre’s opened its Overland Park location in 2002.
- Until it closes in December, the shop will continue operating under its normal hours — 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
The owners of André’s in Overland Park plan to retire
Brigitte, daughter of André’s founder André Bollier, owns the Overland Park location with her husband, Kevin Gravino.
The Overland Park shop gets its name, André’s Rivaz, from the region in Switzerland where members of the Bollier family previously lived.
André’s is primarily known for its wide variety of Swiss chocolates and other sweet treats, like peppermint bark, macarons and tortes.
After nearly 25 years of keeping things running in Overland Park, Brigitte said she and her husband are ready to step back from the family business for some new adventures of their own.
“We decided it was time to start traveling and doing (other) things,” she said.
The flagship location will stay open
Founders André and Elsbeth Bollier originally opened the chocolate shop in Kansas City, Missouri, after relocating there from Switzerland in 1955.
Brigitte said the flagship store at 5018 Main Street will remain open — now run by René Bollier (André’s grandson) and his wife, Nancy Bollier.
This holiday season, customers in Johnson County still have time to grab some final holiday treats from André’s in Overland Park too. The shop will close its doors on Dec. 31.
Though the Gravinos are ready for their next chapter, Brigitte said one part remains bittersweet: saying goodbye to the familiar faces that Overland Park has brought to André’s.
“We have the best customers in the city, and the employees we have are wonderful,” she said. “The customer interactions and coming to work and seeing the employees every day, that’s going to be the hardest for us (to say goodbye to), I think. That’s the part that you’ll miss the most.”
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