Madame Coco’s Emporium will return to Old Town in mid-September alongside Long Dark House, a new bookstore focused on science fiction, horror and dark titles.
The new businesses will share space at 1510 King Street. Madame Coco’s Emporium is the brainchild of Meshelle Armstrong, while Long Dark House is the realization of a lifelong dream by Chanthal Harris.
Armstrong is a longtime Alexandria resident who helped build Restaurant Eve, Society Fair and other ventures, including the coffee-and-cocktails venue Madame Coco’s Parlour at 115 S. Royal Street. Armstrong and her husband, Chef Cathal Armstrong, currently own Hummingbird Bar and Restaurant at Hotel Indigo (220 S. Union Street).
Harris, who also lives in Alexandria, is the creator of the candle and fragrance company Hemlock & Hearth. Earlier this year, she started testing her bookstore concept with pop-up events and local collaborations.
“Meshelle was incredibly gracious and invited me to host events within her space,” Harris said. “I ended up hosting several fun experiences there, and over time we started talking about our shared love of creating immersive spaces.”
Armstrong opened Madame Coco’s Emporium in 2024, but a fire later that year destroyed the shop along with an adjacent romance bookstore and a children’s store. Armstrong opened Madame Coco’s Parlour in 2025 on S. Royal Street, but she always longed to bring back the full emporium experience.
“When Meshelle and I reconnected this summer, we started talking about sharing a space to host our businesses,” Harris said. “I shared my vision for Long Dark House, and we realized our businesses complemented one another in a unique way.”
Madame Coco herself is a character Armstrong came up with from her life experience and her own interests. Madame Coco loves books, chocolate, rich colors, things that bring joy and wonder and things that may be a little bit “strange,” Armstrong explained. “She’s another ego that I think all of us have.”
Madame Coco’s Emporium will bring a variety of chocolates, vintage finds, artisan items and other things Armstrong described as “the whimsy, the magical, the dark.”
Long Dark House will focus on books, “with a carefully curated collection centered on horror, science fiction and other wonderfully ‘strange stories,’” Harris explained. “One of our missions is to spotlight diverse voices and introduce readers to books they may not discover elsewhere.”
In addition, Long Dark House will carry Harris’s own Hemlock & Hearth collection, including Southern Gothic-inspired candles, perfumes and body oils. Long Dark House will also feature journals, bookmarks and gifts. The space will have couches for reading, author events and more.
The store’s design, led by Armstrong, will unite the two sides of the store.
“I didn’t want people to feel like they were in two separate places,” Armstrong said. She said she believes that customers drawn to one side will also enjoy the other.
Madame Coco’s Parlour will remain open at 115 S. Royal Street.
“I’ve never been interested in simply opening another business,” Armstrong said. “I’ve always wanted to create places that I would like to go and where people feel like it belongs to them, too.”
