Today we’d like to introduce you to Tammy Mabra.
Hi Tammy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a chocolate lover who is interested in culture (that which we cultivate together), and cultural creativity / culture work (actively participating in and intentionally contributing to culture). My shop, Good Golly! Chocolate, is located in Red Oak (20 miles south of Dallas), a once small town that is expected to add 40k people in the next 5 years! I recognize both a need and an opportunity, if not responsibility, to make a positive contribution to the culture of this place as it grows, and this little shop is my entry point.
Overall, my story has involved lots of plot twists. Born in Dallas, I grew up in Red Oak and after studying art, animation and interactive media, I was recruited to Austin during the mid-’90s tech boom. A few years in, a health crisis forced me to make major lifestyle changes and rethink my path.
By necessity, my recovery and healing process led me to explore various alternative treatments and modalities. Eventually, I spent several years in Santa Fe, where I studied indigenous healing traditions, which had a profound impact on my health and well-being, and my worldview. Later, back in Austin, I became a mother and facilitated wellness retreats and therapeutic sessions (which I still do, to a lesser extent), while also employing nature-based and arts centered educational models to homeschool my child (which I also still do).
During the pandemic, I returned to Red Oak to be near family. Long story short, inspired by Santa Fe’s artisan chocolate culture and our grandmothers’ holiday candy-making traditions, my sister and I began playing with chocolate. That experimentation grew into Good Golly! Chocolate. We opened a brick-and-mortar store together in late 2023. Now, I’m laying the foundation for the Creating Space Community Art Hive at Good Golly! Chocolate — a whimsical, inclusive, family-friendly hub for creativity, community and chocolate.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Running a small business is never simple, and chocolate comes with its own set of challenges. Climate change is impacting cocoa crops worldwide and combined with tariffs, costs are rising exponentially. Many consumers aren’t aware of the fragility of the supply chain, which makes education around sustainability and conscious consumption critical and at the forefront of my mind. The silver lining is that the process of adapting to these industry challenges has inspired the vision for the art hive, a direction that I’m really excited about.
On a personal level, I tend toward idealism and the ideas that are coming through feel about as big, to me, as the projected growth of our town. This whole endeavor, the Chocolate Shop and beyond, has had me dreaming way out of my comfort zone, regularly dancing on the edge of excitement and overwhelm. Bringing these visions to life requires me to grow, to learn, take risks and make mistakes, to tend my mindset, to organize, systematize, delegate, communicate, network, listen, and lead in new ways. It further requires me to stay grounded, to summon courage, patience, trust, perseverance and to regularly renew a sense of agency and belief that these ideas are both possible and worthwhile.
Lastly, health realities can occasionally require me to adapt the way I work. Some days, it means moving slower or being more intentional with my energy and focus. Those adjustments, while sometimes difficult, keep me grounded in wellness, accessibility and connection as guiding values.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In addition to running a boutique chocolate shop featuring small-batch premium chocolate, I’m currently laying the foundation for the Creating Space Community Art Hive at Good Golly! Chocolate. It’s envisioned as a low-barrier “third space” for community art-making, skill-sharing, and creative expression. The idea is to strengthen the local community by giving families and neighbors a safe, accessible place to connect, collaborate, and share skills in order to foster a sense of belonging and cultural exchange, as well as enhance personal and collective well-being.
Programming will include arts and crafts, classes and workshops, movement and processing groups, and other meet-ups. Think book clubs, game nights, song circles, poetry tea times, mommy & me, preschool, homeschool, after school events, and whatever brings us together. The aim is to be welcoming, inclusive, trauma informed and neurodiversity-forward.
Looking ahead, dare I say, I’m exploring the possibility of transitioning Good Golly! Chocolate into a worker-owned business, which would further support the local community by promoting shared ownership, fair wages, and long-term economic sustainability, while keeping creativity, wellness, culture and connection at the heart of what we do.
A long-term dream, I would love, love, love to eventually extend the whole effort by engaging the community in partnership with the the city and railroad to build a community garden on an awkward plot of land located behind the shop. That would be both a huge undertaking and a crowning achievement – may it be so!
My ongoing prayer and intention is that love may guide my work and that it may bless the generations.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love Dallas’ diversity, creativity and vibrant energy. I love that there’s a deep, rich history and appreciation for visual arts in Dallas, as well as music, dance and performance. I love that Dallas is a central meeting ground for friends from all over DFW. I like the sort of gritty aesthetic of Dallas, too, and that it’s a shiny, bustling and exciting place. What I like least about Dallas is probably a common and obvious response, the traffic. I also wish there were more immersive natural spaces to spend time outdoors. Meandering treks in the woods are good for the soul and could really help balance out the fast, busy energy of the city. You pretty much have to travel to get an immersive nature experience, as far as I’m aware.
I’m out in Red Oak, 20 mins south of Dallas. On one hand, I lament its growth because the pastoral lands, where you could once see the sunset on the horizon, which lent a sense of expansion and beauty to this place, are giving way to housing developments. When I was a kid you could easily star watch. You can still see a few stars these days but as light pollution encroaches, that is disappearing, too. On the other hand, since it’s inevitable, I’m choosing to lean into the excitement of the growth. The diversity and creativity of Dallas is expanding and it brings the opportunity for real participation in the evolution of this place, opportunities for collaboration, the arts, entertainment, food, community and culture. It’s fascinating to live through the birth of a city!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.goodgollychocolate.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodgollychocolate
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodgollychocolate
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodgollychocolate
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@goodgollychocolate
- Google maps & reviews: https://maps.app.goo.gl/W2q4i8GzceXQ1Stm8
Image Credits
Portrait: Tyson Sommer, https://www.dragtheshutter.com/
