Work
Kristin Thalheimer Bingham is a writer, editor, and frequent contributor on NPR’s Marketplace. As a freelance writer with an MBA, she chronicles life, business, and culture from her (adopted and beloved) home state of Maine.
As a freelance editor, Kristin works with individuals crafting memoir and creative nonfiction. Her copy editing skills give her a keen eye on the appropriate use of quotation marks, semicolons, and em dashes. Kristin has a strong allegiance to the Oxford comma.
As co-owner of Dean’s Sweets, an award-winning chocolatier in Portland, Maine, Kristin has a unique perspective on the rewards and challenges facing small businesses, and a good deal of insight, should anyone need it, on the pros and cons of working full-time with a spouse.
Writing
How to Work with a Chocolatier and Other Useful Pieces of Marriage Advice
The Chocolate Professor, September 2022
Pickleball Lives
Creative Maine Magazine, May/June 2022
Stone Mountain Arts Center: Pure Magic
Creative Maine Magazine, Sept/Oct 2021
Building Bridges
Creative Maine Magazine, May/June 2021
Ceremony of Carols (essay)
Maine Public Radio, Music That Moves Me, 2019
Radio
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Valentine's Day Trends: Big spending on candy
February 2024 (23:52 - 27:13)
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Meeting the Holiday Demand for Chocolate
December 2023 (24:36 - 26:40)
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The Costs of Making Chocolate
September 2023 (22:26 - 25:33)
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Consumer spending is “all over the place,” chocolate shop owner says
July 7, 2023
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Chocolate is a sweet tradition for Mother’s Day
May 8, 2023
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Valentine’s Day chocolate sales were strong … but it’d be helpful if you shopped earlier
February 17, 2023
Kristin speaks of the unique challenges surrounding the Valentine’s Day holiday. -
For this Maine chocolatier, costs are starting to cool down
January 12, 2023
Kristin explains how the biggest challenge of getting inventory ready for Valentine's Day. -
Maine chocolatiers resist raising prices as holiday sales begin
September 26, 2022
Kristin describes how at Dean’s Sweets, the holiday season is just around the corner. -
A Ceremony of Carols
July 21, 2022
Maine Public Radio, Music That Moves Me, first aired in 2019 and re-aired in July, 2022, as part of the 60th Anniversary compilation. -
For this Maine chocolatier, labor is the “No. 1 cost to stay competitive”
July 13, 2022
Kristin gives a behind-the-scenes snapshot on Maine, tourism, prices, and costs - and chocolate! Part ten of an ongoing series for NPR’s Marketplace. -
Small retailers are caught between order backlogs and ramping demand
October 29, 2021
Kristin speaking about the demands on small business and the path forward during these tricky times. -
Chocolate shop has plenty of business but not enough staff
July 23, 2021
Kristin describes how being successful also means trying to find extra help in a labor market where everyone is hiring. -
For retailers, holiday shopping was strong. But the way we shop is changing.
January 6, 2020
Kristin talks about the balance between online orders and walk-in customers at their Dean’s Sweets brick and mortar stores. -
Doubling down on chocolate bunnies
April 9, 2020
Kristin explains how they keep working, keep the joy coming — even as the business faces a precipitous drop in sales. -
How 3 small businesses are surviving the pandemic
August 27, 2020
Kristin sees hopeful signs with the gradual return of customers to their shop in Portland, Maine. -
For these retailers, the holiday season is crucial — and has deadlines
December 18, 2019
Kristin explains how Dean’s Sweets juggles corporate accounts, online orders, and busy days with customers. -
How much does the holiday retail season matter? Ask these retailers.
November 25, 2019
Marketplace follows three small businesses across the country to get a sense of what’s going on for them in this economy. -
Weathering the hard times by selling chocolate
November 15, 2018 Kristin’s first contribution to APM/NPR’s Marketplace in My Economy, discussing the economic strength and recession-proof goodness of chocolate.
