Shop's reception anything but chilly
The current situation was never a big worry for owners of Sweet Scoops, which sees big crowds for its ice cream treats
The hot weather has been a boon for the newest addition to Elmira’s downtown core: Sweet Scoops ice cream shop. And if the crowds routinely seen on the sidewalk outside are any indication, the frozen treats are hitting the spot.
The new venture was launched a few weeks ago by John Tsintaris, owner of Grill on the Green and the Grill on the Go food trucks, along with his wife and family.
In that short time, Tsintaris and his wife – alongside his sister-in-law and brother-in-law – went from buying the store located at 4 Arthur St. S. to opening their doors to the public. What initially inspired him to open the shop was to bring life back to a downtown core, something that had gone missing.
He says the timing was perfect as the previous tenant had just moved out and things worked very quickly for them as they opted to open their storefront.
“[There was] a need for something downtown
– it just felt like there was something missing downtown,” said Tsintaris. “[There use to be] Lazer Video downtown and they were open pretty late nights and it use to be the place to go and get ice cream. And then when Kitchen Kuttings moved over – they close at 5 or 6 o’clock – so it seemed like there was just no life downtown after that time. So, it was kind of the perfect spot to open something.”
Serving Shaw’s ice cream, an Ontario brand made by three sisters, Tsintaris says he used to serve it in other restaurants he owned in the Waterloo area. He says he is proud to work with the family-run brand that makes quality ice cream.
When you walk in the door you have an abundance of flavour and menu options available. What sets Sweet Scoops apart is that they make their own waffle cones in house and rolling them fresh, he said.
After being open for just a few weeks, Tsintaris said he is very happy with the community’s reaction to the shop, noting response has been great and customers always come in smiling – no one is in a bad mood when they’re getting ice cream.
Despite COVID-19,
Tsintaris and his partners had no hesitation about opening the shop. Because of the way things are currently setup, it made perfect sense to launch at this juncture – he says he was never scared about starting a new business during this time.
There has been one concession to the situation: an official grand opening is on hold. To fly under the radar and not attract too much attention to the downtown core, he says they have opted to put the formal opening on the backburner, though the big event may happen at some point down the road.
Sweet Scoops is a family-run business in that Tsintaris is not only partnering with family, but also employing his kids. He says this is the “perfect summer job where no jobs are currently available.”
Sweet Scoops is open daily from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.