Many have stopped in but there are some here in Drumheller that have not had a chance to check out the Valley Ice Cream Shoppe on 1st Street West.
It is a quaint little shop that used to be a home. Now it is a very busy ice cream shop that is starting its third year in the valley. Shawn Pallesen and Wayne Lorenz are the owners of Valley Ice Cream Shoppe. Pallesen has found that it is more than just selling ice cream. “It is not just selling ice cream. People come in, they like the atmosphere, they like the music, they really like the product because it is creamery ice cream. It’s not just buying something and leaving, it’s buying something, enjoying it here and the whole experience. The back yard is landscaped. There are seating areas and there is shade, so people can come and enjoy half an hour, relax, and walk away happy.” The whole experience is the key for the customers, admits Lorenz. “It is interesting that it doesn’t matter where you’re from. Obviously, we meet people from all over the world. Locals, far away, nearby, they all like the experience, they all want ice cream. Ice cream is kind of fun and common for all of us. We all have an experience with it and it brings us back.”
A business like ice cream does cater to the tourists that visit the Drumheller Valley but according to Pallesen, they opened the shop with the locals in mind. “I grew up here. I remember the Woolworth’s counter and going for ice cream at different places in town. I’ve been back in Drumheller for six years now and there are a lot of places that sell ice cream but there isn’t many places that focus just on ice cream. We thought it would be fun for the local community to have a place that they could go to where there are homemade cones, homemade brownies for the toppings, that the ice cream is quality creamery ice cream, and create this ‘experience’ for people. We saw this need to have a community hub where people can go and spend a half an hour, enjoy themselves, and walk away a little happier.” The business also supports a number of local groups and initiatives like the Royal Canadian Legion, Cold Bones Fest, and every Tuesday, part of their sales goes to support the Drumheller and District Humane Society.
The shop is getting quite well known and they have been getting repeat business from visitors to the valley according to Lorenz. “Something that is a lot of fun is we are watching kids grow. I had a couple (stop by) yesterday and said ‘remember when I was pregnant last year, well here’s our baby’. We have people showing us their kids and having their first ice cream here. There are people from far away and nearby.” They have had a Korean pop star filmed a video with them and they have had customers stop in to have the ice cream that the pop star had, or visit and retrace the steps of the pop star.
The goal for the business is being a welcoming place for everyone comments Pallesen. “We want them to feel welcome. We want people to come in and feel comfortable. We say hi to everybody and greet them like they are our friends. We really focus on the locals, as we are a local business, and we are here for the locals as we are open through the winter. We want people to enjoy the experience.”
They offer over 30 flavours of ice cream, milkshakes, and sundaes. The shop is open daily throughout the summer.
Comments