Painting the town

Entrepreneur, July, 1997

After seven years running a gourmet chocolate business, my husband, Tom, and I have learned the best ideas come from the most unexpected sources. In our case, that source was Dirty Larry.

Allow me to explain. A few years ago, Tom and I were searching for an idea to enter in the "Brown-out," a local fund-raising event where attendees feast on chocolates donated by area businesses, and the businesses vie for awards.

Our first year participating, we won the People's Choice award. The second year, we won the People's Choice and Most Delicious awards. We were approaching our third year when Dirty Larry came into our shop.

Tom lovingly refers to our dear customer and friend as "Dirty Larry" because Larry is always inviting us to do outrageous things like go skinny-dipping in the river. We politely decline. Not our style. But fun-loving Larry never gives up on us.

Tom and I asked Larry what we should contribute to the Brown-out in our third year. "You have to go for the Most Decadent," Larry said. "So I'll go naked. You paint melted chocolate all over my body. People will lick it off. And you'll win!"

"We'll win - and get arrested," I said.

We politely declined. Not our style. But Tom began asking when we were going to introduce Chocolate Body Paint. "No way," I said. "Can't we be normal and just sell bonbons?"

"But, Sally," Tom replied, "this is sex. Sex sells."

So it went for several months until a Rotary meeting at Tom's club. Tom made a batch of chocolate dessert topping, labeled it "Chocolate Body Paint," and presented it to the president: "It's great on ice cream, too," Tom said. "Follow the directions precisely. Heat to 98.6 degrees, apply liberally and let your imagination run free."

The president, a mild-mannered, well-respected dentist, graciously accepted the gift. At the next meeting he gave his report:

"My wife and I tried the Chocolate Body Paint," he announced. "We followed the directions precisely. We heated it to 98.6 degrees, applied liberally and let our imaginations run free.

"When we were done, my wife said, 'Oh, darling, let's do that again.'

"I replied, 'I'd love to, dear, but . . . we've run out of ice cream.'"

The club howled. And Tom's badgering increased. Finally, I agreed to let him test-market it in our shop. But the first day it hit the shelves, I saw "her" approaching the store.

An older lady, she didn't look like the stereotypical Body Paint customer. As Tom scurried toward her, I cringed.

"Ma'am," Tom said, "we're coming out with a new product. It's called Chocolate Body Paint, and - "

"Chocolate Body Paint!" the lady cried. "I must have this!"

My eyes popped open as the lady grabbed the jar and started spilling intimacies to Tom. She and her husband were taking their first overnight trip in 20 years, and she had come to town to buy a negligee. "But if you give me this jar of Chocolate Body Paint," she said, "I won't need a negligee!"

"Keep it," Tom said. "It's yours. Enjoy!"

As I rang up her purchase, she asked, "So . . . how is it?"

"It's great on vanilla ice cream," I replied.

"No, I mean . . . how is it?" she asked.

"Oh. Uh . . . I don't know," I replied.

She looked straight at me and asked, "Dear, is everything all right with your marriage?"

Today, the Body Paint is our bestselling product. It's won awards and been featured in publications from The Wall Street Journal to Playboy Magazine.

Am I glad I let Tom talk me into selling Chocolate Body Paint? You bet. For on that fateful day, I learned two things: Never judge a book by its cover, and never judge an idea by its source.

Sally Fegley is co-owner of Tom and Sally's Handmade Chocolates in Brattleboro, Vermont.