A prospective tenant already has expressed interest in filling the Franklin Building storefront vacated when Covered in Chocolate! closed.

Donald W. Rutherford, CEO of the Watertown Local Development Corp., said he recently gave a tour of the storefront to a woman who may be interested in leasing the space on the Franklin Street side of the Public Square structure.

“It looks pretty good,” he said, adding the woman needed to talk with her business partner about the space before making a decision.

He would not identify the possible tenant, but he said the business would take over the space “as is.” The business would tie into a planned theater the North Country Arts Council plans to open in another space in the building this summer, Mr. Rutherford said.

After five years in business, Covered in Chocolate! closed in December. Co-owner Jennifer L. McConnell blamed insufficient downtown foot traffic and a need for more capital to build and advertise the dessert shop.

The trust markets the commercial space in the Franklin Building. Mr. Rutherford told the board he would like to retain a real estate broker to help find tenants for the building.

Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.

You can continue on to this article in a few seconds, or you can visit one of our websites:

• Watertown Daily Times
• The Ogdensburg Journal
• Daily Courier-Observer