07/03/2026
Picture: Our Bartow party room. 💙 I was at the shop until midnight painting the ceiling because sometimes that’s what chasing a dream looks like.
As we head into another holiday weekend, I’ve been thinking about how incredibly grateful we are.
Our little shop in Lutz is getting ready to celebrate 11 years in business. Since then, we’ve been blessed with opportunities that only happened because people believed in us.
Our landlords in Winter Haven took a chance on us when others didn’t. Trinity came from the opportunity to continue an ice cream shop that already meant so much to the community. Dade City happened because someone who shared our love of historic buildings reached out. And Bartow… well, we actually turned it down at first because we thought it was too big. Then I had a dream about the building, and I couldn’t let it go.
People sometimes think small business owners are chasing millions. The reality is, there’s an old joke that says, “If you want to make a million dollars, start with two million and open a restaurant.” 😅
We don’t do this because it’s easy.
We do it because we love it.
When I was a little girl growing up in Chicago, some of my favorite memories were going to the neighborhood ice cream shop with my family. When I moved to Florida, I couldn’t find that same feeling, so I decided to create it—not just for my own son, but for every family in our communities.
The past year has stretched me more than I ever imagined. I’ve rescued furniture from dumpsters, stopped on the side of the road because I saw potential in an old piece, built decorations by hand, painted ceilings until midnight, and somehow balanced it all while helping lead a team of more than 30 incredible people.
Recently, there’s been some criticism about businesses using AI.
Here’s my perspective: AI doesn’t build our stores. It doesn’t scoop ice cream. It doesn’t stay until midnight painting ceilings. It doesn’t love our customers.
Sometimes it simply helps organize the words in our heads so we can spend more time doing what we love—creating memories for the families who walk through our doors.
If you’ve ever visited one of our shops, shared one of our posts, recommended us to a friend, or trusted us to be part of your family’s traditions… thank you. You mean more to us than you’ll ever know.
And to those who don’t always agree with how we do things, we truly respect that everyone has different opinions. We simply ask for kindness. Behind every small business is a real family, real employees, and real people who pour their hearts into what they do.
We’re not perfect, but everything we build is built with love.
Thank you for supporting our dream. We can’t wait to keep making memories with yours. ❤️🍦
