OOO #51: Outfits, Ohio, and Other Things I Like
Because I like them, chocolate, and a countdown
Outfits
Ohio
I’m not sure how I’ve gotten to 51 issues without mentioning Malley’s before, but here we are. Malley’s is one of my favorite American chocolatiers, and I am lucky that there is a location down the road from my in-laws’ house.
Malley’s has been a Cleveland staple since 1935. There are 19 locations throughout the Cleveland metro area, but my favorite is the North Olmsted location at the intersection Clague and Lorain. The North Olmsted store has a working carousel inside on which you can enjoy some ice cream and pretzels (the carousel moves slow enough that you won’t get sick… in case you’re worried). I am disappointed in myself for forgetting to take a photo of it when I visited last weekend, but I was too focused on the chocolate around it.
Before we get to how much I love Malley’s chocolate, I do want to point out that Malley’s branding is absolutely beautiful: the company’s colors are light pink and mint green, and their silos have even been featured in Accidentally Wes Anderson (which separately, I’m shocked I haven’t mentioned here yet). In fact, AWA did a tour of Cleveland a few years back, and the photos, like all of the photos on the website, are darling.
Malley’s makes delicious chocolate. I’m partial to their Malley Oh’s (chocolate covered Oreos, of which I can only have one at a time. Otherwise the sugar rush causes me to spiral) as well as their Peanut Butter Royals. Their chocolate-covered pretzels similarly move quickly in our house. Malley’s sells other types of candy in addition to chocolate, including candy fruit slices, which I absolutely adore, and I typically get a raspberry fruit slice to go. If you’re in the Cleveland area (or have an internet connection) and looking for an easy, delicious gift for someone, Malley’s is the way to go.
Other Things I Like
It is officially socially acceptable for me to start celebrating my favorite time of year: WINTER. I know that winter is usually everyone’s least favorite time of year, but I’ve never really understood why: if you live in the temperate parts of the United States, winter means SNOW (amazing, magical, obsessed). I love cold weather; I am inexplicably more productive creatively and with chores when it’s dark and cold, and the temperature drop means I have more options for dressing—this is the time for my sweaters and the aforementioned blazers to shine.
This time of year also means it’s time to break out the Christmas and winter decorations. I do have decorations that are meant to stay up in January and February beyond the traditional Christmas season (which ends January 6), including this beautiful paper snowflake a student made for me last year.

That being said, I have a TON of Christmas decorations. For the next four issues, I’ll feature some of my favorite decorations to celebrate the season. For week one, I’m starting with advent calendars.
Growing up, I had the world’s most amazing advent calendar. Each day, I would open the correct door to find a little painted wooden ornament to hang on a white wooden Christmas tree covered with spindly branches. The ornaments looked generally like this, and I can still remember, fifteen years after moving out of my childhood home, that Day 1 was a house, Day 3 was a sleigh, and Day 24 was a hearth with stockings (to this day I am still annoyed most advent calendars don’t go until the 25th… they feel incomplete). I look forward to seeing it at my mother’s house this year.
This year, I have been kindly gifted not one but TWO wonderful advent calendars.
The first advent calendar was from my mother and features a lovely photo of the Duomo di Milano. I had such a fun time learning about the history of the building and taking in all of its amazing art and architecture this summer, and the calendar is a nice reminder of that (and an inspiration to start traveling to Europe when it’s not boiling outside). I still think about the Duomo’s sculpture of St. Bartholomew daily.
The second advent calendar is from a dear family friend and CLEARLY loyal reader: The Bonne Maman Advent Calendar. Not only did I get the sampler set that I wanted for my birthday in April (from my bestie), but thanks to the advent calendar, I also have the perfect amount of jam one can have: a lot. I bought myself a pack of English muffins a few days ago so I can start working my way through them on Friday. Life is good.
That’s it! Have a great rest of your week!
❤️ ;)
And a friend here in Columbus is a Malley daughter. She's not part of the business anymore, but it was always fun to talk with her about all the fun things Sharon would bring down to us.