At 17 S. King St., the ground floor of a building dating to about 1805 now holds candied apples, fudge and a chocolate fountain. Two blocks away on Loudoun Street, a former farmers market vendor is serving thick European sipping chocolate and Danish pancakes from a storefront of her own. Both shops opened in September. On Wednesday, Oct. 28, the 70th Leesburg Kiwanis Halloween Parade will bring the biggest crowd of their first season onto King Street.
Most of what changed downtown this fall is dessert. The parade will be the first real test of that change, and it falls on a weeknight, at a later hour than last year, with the route shortened at the south end. Those three details shape how the evening works for anyone walking in from home.
What Changed on King and Loudoun Streets This Fall
The largest downtown openings came a year earlier. The Hotel Burg and its restaurant, The Huntōn, opened at 208 South King St. on Aug. 1, 2025, and Loudoun Times-Mirror reported that Shutters on King opened for dinner at the corner of King and Loudoun streets the following week. Those were big, multi-year projects with full dining rooms. The 2026 changes are smaller, and each one is run by an owner with deep ties to Leesburg or western Loudoun.
| Address | Business | Status as of mid-October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 17 S. King St. | Kilwins | Open since mid-September; grand opening held Oct. 8–10 |
| 212A Loudoun St. SE | The Chocolate Palette | Open since September; Thursday through Sunday hours |
| 9 W. Market St. | Birch Tree Books & Plants | Moved from 11 W. Market into a larger space |
| 101 S. King St. | Shibuya Sushi & Bar | Planned for the former Ebisu Sushi & Thai space; no opening date announced |
| 5–7 N. King St. | MALONE'S Irish Pub | Listed as "Coming Fall 2026"; no opening date announced |
Three of the five addresses are on King Street, which is also the parade route.
A Kilwins With a Hometown Owner and a Back Room
Kilwins is a Michigan-based chain. The Leesburg franchise belongs to Nancy Carter, whom Loudoun Times-Mirror describes as a longtime town resident. She took over the former Rouge Spa space and renovated the ground floor of the circa-1805 building to bring it up to code for a food business. That included new ADA-compliant bathrooms.
The chocolates come from the company's Michigan headquarters, and Carter told the paper many of the other treats are made in the shop. The lineup includes ice cream, fudge, flavored popcorn, marshmallows and candied apples in several flavors. A large party room in back is planned for children's and adults' parties as well as community and corporate events. The grand opening ran Oct. 8 through 10. Carter also told the paper she plans a second location in Brambleton in early February.
On the holidays, Carter told Loudoun Times-Mirror, "I'm planning to be in the parades and look forward to being part of all the holidays."
The Chocolate Palette Took the Long Road to Loudoun Street
Cheryl June's shop has a longer local history than its September opening date suggests. LoudounNow reported that she started in 2017 selling sipping chocolates and Danish pancakes at the Purcellville farmers market. She then ran Gruto's Main Street space in Purcellville for four seasons while the ice cream shop was closed for winter, and later managed the nonprofit SimplyBe coffee shop. Her landlord at 212A Loudoun St. SE is Avis Renshaw, owner of Mom's Apple Pie.
The menu is narrow and specific. European sipping chocolate is thicker than ordinary cocoa, and one version, Aztec Life, adds cayenne. The aebleskivers are round Danish pancakes. June serves them with toppings that range from lemon and powdered sugar to prosciutto and gruyere with maple syrup, and she adds seasonal sauces such as zabaione cream and a ginger pear cranberry relish around Christmas. An upstairs room is available for small gatherings and community groups.
"I think it's been a long time in preparation and thinking about what I wanted and how I was going to work the business model. Then it was just a matter of finding the right space."
June said that to LoudounNow when the shop opened.
Her hours matter for parade planning. LoudounNow lists The Chocolate Palette as open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 3 to 7 p.m. The parade is on a Wednesday, which falls outside those published hours. For a sipping chocolate on parade weekend, Thursday, Oct. 29 is the nearest day the shop's regular schedule lists it as open.
Parade Night Runs Later, and the Route Is Shorter
This year's parade starts at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28, rain or shine. It runs on King Street between Battlefield Parkway and Catoctin Circle, with spooky floats, marching bands, costumes and candy, according to LoudounNow. The Leesburg Kiwanis Club calls the 6:30 start a new time. For comparison, the Town of Leesburg's 2025 notice put last year's start at 6 p.m. and closed King Street at 5:15 p.m. Both times moved 30 minutes later this year.
The route is also cut short at the south end. The parade will end before Safeway because of construction on Fairfax Street.
Here's how the evening lays out, based on published details that are still subject to change:
- Before 5:45 p.m.: Leesburg Police plan to close King Street to traffic at 5:45 p.m. Parade participants are asked to be parked or dropped off at the Ida Lee field well ahead of that.
- Parking: The Ida Lee field is for participants only. Viewers are directed to the town's parking garages or to side streets the parade isn't using.
- 6:30 p.m.: The parade steps off. The Town calendar lists it running until 8 p.m.
- On the route: Kilwins at 17 S. King St. faces the parade directly, as do the planned Shibuya and MALONE'S sites at 101 S. King and 5–7 N. King.
This year's grand marshal is the Stone Bridge High School Key Club, which was named the 2025-26 Key Club of the Year among 250 clubs in Kiwanis's Capital District. The parade is free and anyone can join with a float, an act, or a costume. Instead of registration fees, Kiwanis asks for non-perishable food or checks made out to Loudoun Hunger Relief, collected at sign-in at the Ida Lee field. Registration closes Oct. 14. Judging categories are "Most Creative," "Best Interpretation of Halloween" and "Best Float."
The parade dates to 1957. LoudounNow describes it as one of the oldest of its kind in the eastern United States.
Two King Street Storefronts Are Still Waiting
Two of the King Street addresses along the route are mid-transition. The Burn reported on Sept. 5 that Ebisu Sushi & Thai at 101 South King St. had closed for good. On Sept. 30, The Burn followed up that Shibuya Sushi & Bar plans to take the space. At that point it was still hiring a head sushi chef and working on its liquor license, and it had not given an opening date.
At 5 and 7 N. King St., Downtown Saloon was set to close on July 4 so that Evan, Meaghan and Kathleen Malone could convert the space into an Irish pub, according to The Burn in June. The family's project page shows the name MALONE'S Irish Pub and says "Coming Fall 2026," with no date. Neither restaurant has announced an opening, so both sites may still be under construction on parade night.
Around the corner, Birch Tree Books & Plants has moved one door down Market Street, from 11 W. Market to a larger store at 9 W. Market with more room for books and an expanded houseplant section, The Burn reported on Sept. 29.
After the Parade, the Calendar Moves to Ida Lee and Town Green
Leesburg's next big events move to Ida Lee Park and Town Green:
- Saturday, Nov. 21: The Freeze Your Gizzard 5K and 1-mile fun run at Ida Lee Park.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 6 p.m.: The holiday tree lighting on Town Green.
- Dec. 5–6: The Holiday Fine Arts and Crafts Show at the Ida Lee Park Recreation Center, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
- Saturday, Dec. 12, 6 p.m.: The Christmas and Holiday Parade, with Dec. 13 as the rain date.
The December tree lighting and holiday parade both fall on Saturdays, which are inside The Chocolate Palette's posted hours. The Town of Leesburg's holiday events page has the current schedule, and the Town notes that dates can change.
If you're thinking about what downtown Leesburg's changing storefronts mean for a home nearby, Celeste Linthicum knows these blocks and is glad to talk it through, whether that's before parade night or over a sipping chocolate on Loudoun Street. Schedule A Consultation whenever the timing suits you.
