It’s been a little over a month since Washington, D.C., native Karin Sellers opened the doors to Here’s the Scoop ice cream shop in Columbia Heights, making it the community’s first creamery owned by a Black woman.
Sellers, a longtime entrepreneur, said the response from local residents has been simply “amazing” to say the least.
Business owner Karin Sellers, 48, said she’s always had dreams of opening her own ice cream shop in her hometown. (Photo: Here’s the Scoop SC / Instagram)
“It has been so positive,” Sellers, 48, told HuffPost in an interview. “People will come in and just express gratitude that we’re here. I really feel that a void has been filled and it’s been remarkable.”
The parlor, located on Georgia Avenue, serves up a variety of treats from ice cream and milkshakes to cakes and cobblers. Sellers’ shop has been a hit with neighbors, students from the nearby Howard University and others in the community looking to satisfy their sweet tooth.
Sellers told HuffPost she’s always had dreams of opening a creamery in her hometown, a plan made possible by a $50,000 business grant from the city’s Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.
“I felt it was something missing in this community,” she said of her ice cream shop. “I felt that the community needed a place that was really community-based, that made people happy, no bulletproof glass or anything like that, but somewhere they could come in and be treated really well.”
Sellers says her business does more than just offer delectable treats on a hot summer day; it also serves as an incubator for raw, Black talent. The entrepreneur explained that much of her staff is composed of young, hungry, aspiring bakers with dreams of launching their own businesses one day.
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“I want it to be a place that will be a platform for other businesses to get started,” Seller added. “A lot of my bakers are up-and-coming bakers who are taking their talents to another level. Not just baking out of your house, but I hope they can eventually open up a brick and mortar for themselves through this experience.”
Here’s the Scoop has plenty of things coming down the pipeline, as Sellers hopes to start hosting pop-ups and community seminars so that customers leave with both their minds and palates satisfied, according to the outlet.
Basking in her sweet success, Sellers noted that none of this would’ve been possible without the love and support of her father.
“I did it all in honor of my father,” she says.
Lastly, she provided this nugget of advice to aspiring Black entrepreneurs: “If you have a vision stick with it and do your research. You’re going to doubt yourself, but stick with it and own it.”
