Hayward Simoneaux, Todos Santos
Something sweet — that’s what you got when you walked into Todos Santos, nestled in a back corner of Sena Plaza for over 20 years.
In October, the longtime chocolate store melted into the sunset. Owner Hayward Simoneaux tried to keep it going, first shutting down early in the pandemic, then reopening and adjusting to the loss of chocolate sales — and chocolate that went bad during the shutdown — from March through September.
When his lease came up for renewal in October, he had to ask himself, “Do I invest in a Christmas that might not happen?”
The answer, for him and others, was no. By the end of that month, he and his one employee were out of work. Now enjoying an unexpected break — “I’ve never been off before on Thanksgiving. This was the first one after 21 years. I went hiking with my dog!” he says — Simoneaux has time to create an Instagram timeline of Todos Santos in images of sweets and treats.
A chocolate St. Nick. A Virgin of Guadalupe pastry. A Thanksgiving Day turkey treat. Each with its own history, each representing a different point in the store’s past.
“Todos Santos was a very one-of-a-kind store that just closed,” Simoneaux says. “Our town is not filled with chain or franchise stores downtown. People — both locals and tourists — came here for that kind of shopping. We lost one of those.” Something else within him is lost.
“I had amazing customers,” he says. “I miss them.”
He might start a new business, he says, but it’s too soon to tell. He left the store’s phone number operating. He still gets calls from customers.
“They want to know what the store’s hours are.”