A calming vibe settled in as I walked into the sweet-smelling chocolate shop that was decorated with antique furniture, elegant chandeliers and a long counter covered in chocolates. The young blonde standing behind the counter immediately looked up as she heard my feet on the hardwood floors, and greeted me with a warm smile.

“Welcome to Chocolaterie Stam,” she said welcomingly. “Have you ever been here before?”

I replied with a “no,” and told her that I was looking for Terry Stark – the owner of the store. She smiled, told me she would tell him I was here, and left me assured that he would be down shortly.

Waiting patiently, I walked over to the back of the store and sat down on a plush, lime-green sofa that had wooden bear claw legs. There was a blanket thrown over the back of it with pillows tucked by the arms, and a coffee table in front of me that had magazines strewn about.

After anxiously flipping through a magazine that had been lying on the table, Stark, owner and former Story County deputy sheriff, walked diligently across the wooden floor to greet me. He pointed in the direction of his office, which was up a narrow, carpeted staircase, to a room above the shop. Hospitality filled the makeshift office space.

Chocolaterie Stam, 230 Main St., is where Stark spends most of his days. But, although he may be a sweets specialist now, Stark had his own beginnings outside the chocolate business.

“I was a Story County deputy sheriff for 22 years, and a policeman for seven years in Nevada before that, so I had 29 years in law enforcement,” he said.

His duty of serving the community was one of his main priorities. Stark even ran for sheriff twice, going back to work after losing the first election, yet moving forward after losing the second.

“I would have had 29 years in at that time and I just didn’t want to go back and do that again,” he said.

Other members serving the community remember Stark’s commitment and desire to make Story County a better place.

“I was introduced to him through his father who was the Story County sheriff for many years,” said Loras Jaeger, Ames police chief. “I think he’s friendly and outgoing and, like his father, tried to provide the best service to the county of story.”

But it wasn’t until after Stark lost the second election for Story County sheriff that he decided to branch out of the service sector and look for something different. He wasn’t quite sure what that “different” was going to be, but knew he was ready for something after 29 years in the force.

“I started looking to see what I could do if things didn’t work out in the election,” he said. “I kind of messed around for a year, doing construction with a friend, and then I got my real estate license.”

Working for First Haley Realty in his hometown of Nevada, Stark continues to help out, but has “scaled back” now since his commitment to Chocolaterie Stam.

“This is a business, and I have to devote time to this,” he said.

However, Stark didn’t dedicate himself to Chocolaterie Stam right away. He knew he was interested in starting his own business, but just didn’t know what hunch he wanted to follow. Stark searched through several different entrepreneurial options such as a window cleaning business, a handyman fixer and franchises.

“Those things just didn’t hit me,” he said. “[My wife] and I were customers at Chocolaterie Stam in Des Moines for a couple of years, and one day I was down at their shop alone and it just kind of dawned on me to ask the question of Ton Stam – the youngest son of the Stam family in Europe.”

It was that day when Stark introduced himself to the creator of Chocolaterie Stam and suggested the idea of a franchise.

Little did Stark know that he was just one of the many who had suggested franchising to Stam.

“He gave me a little tiny piece of paper, nothing official. I wrote my name and number on it and tore it off and gave it to him and figured, ‘Oh, he’s going to lose that.’ And I didn’t think much more about it until 10 months later, out of the blue, he calls me up and says, ‘This is Ton Stam and I’m wondering if you and [your wife] are still interested in maybe getting a franchise,'” he said.

So then a few meetings later, Stark and Stam decided to open up the first Chocolaterie Stam franchise in Ames. It was in August 2006 when Stark received the call from Stam, and the shop opened on Main Street in November.

“A lot of sweat and hard work went into the place, and it really has shown,” said Caleb Matthew, landlord of the building where Chocolaterie Stam is located.

The building, which was also being shown to two other potential businesses, was right where Stark wanted to be, and was the perfect fit with what the landlord was looking for.

“The idea of what he was going to bring across was much more than the other two places were going to do,” Matthew said. “I liked the improvements that he made to the building, and the idea of a chocolate store goes well with the building. They are the type of clientele I was looking for.”

The place turned around quickly, even opening a day earlier than expected.

“We didn’t get into this building until September, so we were open in about seven weeks,” Stark said.

As for business, it’s doing well, and Stark has finally found his niche in the chocolate industry. With lines almost out the door all day on Valentine’s Day, and a special ice cream coming soon, Chocolaterie Stam is succeeding every day.

“Business is phenomenal, and when I say that, I mean it,” Stark said. “We’re exceeding on a daily basis their expectations in Des Moines. On a daily basis they can’t believe the numbers we’re doing. We’re just having a hoot – it’s a great time.”

Marjorie Smith is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Fairfax.