Downtown Ames: Chocolaterie Stam and Marmalade Moon

For the past 16 years, Chocolaterie Stam has been a staple in Downtown Ames and a go-to location for holiday, or any-day, chocolate sweets. Owned by Terry and Anne Stark, the couple was the first non-Stam family to own a store. All of the chocolates are made in Des Moines under the direction of Erik Stam, production manager and great-grandson of the founder, Jacobus Stam. The best dates for sales are those surrounding Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter. 
 
In addition to chocolate, they offer real Italian gelato, have a full coffee bar, and wine to go. Or stay awhile on Saturday’s when the piano is played inside by a local musician. In addition to owning Chocolaterie Stam, Terry has been a long-time member of the Score Table for Iowa State University basketball programs.

​(Chocolaterie Stam is located at 230 Main Street)
 
The co-owners of Marmalade Moon, Ann-Marie Widdowson and Graham Watkins opened their Downtown Ames shop in December 2021 after 9 months of renovations. All of their ice cream is created in-house, including their Marmalade Moon flavor, a creamy, light citrus ice cream with candied orange peel chunks. Both Graham and Ann-Marie are natives of Great Britain, and they bring this European flare to their sales offerings. In addition to ice cream, they offer a range of snacks, retail shop, and full coffee bar. If you’re looking for a suggestion, consider an affogato: a scoop of ice cream “drowned” in espresso.

(Marmalade Moon is located at 207 Main Street)

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