The Golden Scoop, an ice cream and coffee shop with the goal of providing meaningful employment for individuals with disabilities, will open in January at 95th and Nall.
The shop will employ 38 individuals with a range of disabilities such as autism, Down Syndrome and Williams syndrome. According to owner Lindsay Krumbholz, 80% of individuals with disabilities are unemployed, and The Golden Scoop wanted to bring that number up by showing businesses in the Kansas City area what skills these individuals have to offer.
Krumbholz came up with the idea for the business after working for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy and doing in-home care with young adults with disabilities. After talking to parents of the young adults, she realized that a main concern was if their child could get a job and gain independence, so she decided to take action and came up with the idea for The Golden Scoop.
The name for The Golden Scoop was inspired by a group of individuals Krumbholz used to work with that would get together to dance on Wednesdays. They called themselves the Golden Stars and Krumbholz decided to name the store after them because she wanted the store to embody their love of being together.
The shop was modeled after two similar companies that Krumbholz heard about that also employ individuals with disabilities — Bitty and Beau’s coffee shop, which originated in Wilmington, North Carolina and Howdy Ice Cream in Dallas, Texas.
“We decided to take both stores and combine them into one that serves both — because who doesn’t love ice cream and coffee?” Krumbholz said.
Employees at The Golden Scoop, or “super scoopers” as they’re called, will play a vital role in all aspects of the business. They will scoop ice cream and work closely with culinary director Michelle Reeves to create ice cream flavors and other menu items. Two employees have already created the logo. Most importantly, the super scoopers will be getting a salary which will show them how a job works.
Sophomore Regan Wagstaff, who has a younger brother with Down Syndrome, sees the Golden Scoop as a hopeful opportunity for those with disabilities.
“I honestly am not sure if my brother will ever be able to work at a real job,” Wagstaff said. “Hearing about The Golden Scoop makes me think that, maybe with the right training, he’ll be able to some day.”
The Golden Scoop partnered with Hattie’s Fine Coffee, a local Corinth Square coffee shop, who provided them with two coffee blends along with help training the super scoopers.
Hattie’s Coffee hosted a fundraiser to spread the word about The Golden Scoop on Oct. 24, offering a sneak peak of the shop’s signature golden crunch dessert and samples of their coffee blends.
“[There are a lot] of people who can’t wait to volunteer and come to our shop,” Krumbholz said. “Everyone is excited for good news with 2020 being a down year. We are happy to be that good news.”
The Golden Scoop is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, so there will be many opportunities for volunteers to assist the super scoopers in their job. While customers will still have to pay for ice cream, it doesn’t go directly towards the store, but to the salaries of the employees.
Krumbholz has been in contact with SHARE recently and is looking forward to seeing volunteers from East. In addition to volunteer opportunities, there will also be a multitude of fundraisers for The Golden Scoop.
“I think my brother, and possibly the rest of my family will be involved with The Golden Scoop a lot,” Wagstaff said. “I know that my mom will love for my brother to volunteer with them and get acquainted.”
There will be a fundraiser this Thursday and Friday hosted by Kendra Scott at Town Center Plaza. For every purchase made with the code GIVEBACK-062R at Kendra Scott, 20% of the profits will go towards funding for the Golden Scoop. Customers will be able to get holiday shopping done early while giving back to a local business with a positive cause.
“Our main goal is to give back to these individuals as much as we can while providing them with a perfect work experience,” Krumbholz said. “We want a happy place where people can come to while providing employment for our employees.”
Visit www.thegoldenscoop.org for more information on upcoming fundraisers and ways to donate and volunteer with The Golden Scoop.
