By Jacob Hoytema –
No longer will Wellington West have to go through a long, hot summer without a cool refreshment: Cardinal Ice Cream, the neighbourhood’s first locally owned ice cream stand, is open for business on Wellington West. The new enterprise is co-founded and co-owned by Andrea Stokes, formerly of the Wellington West BIA, and Thomas Williams, owner of Hintonburger.
Before its current incarnation, the shack that houses Cardinal was used by Hintonburger for product storage and refrigeration. Andrea and Thomas had been talking about starting an ice cream business for years and figured that the shack would make the perfect location. With the addition of a porch, a cutout of a cardinal, and some colourful lawn chairs, the shack took on a positively beach-y feel.
Thomas says that the neighbourhood had been lacking a local ice cream vendor for too long.
“We had a similar but smaller-scale concept with Hintonburger. We had lived in the neighbourhood for a couple years and were like, ‘you can’t get fries and a burger anywhere!’” Thomas says. “It’s the same thing… we have really great local ice cream so why not showcase it and sell it in a neighbourhood that doesn’t have any yet.”
“The business has already become a photobooth on social media, because it’s such a cute little situation, such a cute little building,” adds Andrea. Indeed, many customers, including Kitchissippi Ward Councillor Jeff Leiper, have posted pictures of their ice cream excursions online.
Cardinal’s cones are made with Tracey’s Ice Cream, sourced out of Renfrew. Andrea and Thomas have plans to expand their local selection, mentioning an upcoming partnership with Moo Shu Ice Cream, an Ottawa ice cream and truffle-making company.
“The idea is we will be even more local — we will be a purveyor of products, hopefully, that are made in the city as well,” says Andrea, who is also the writer behind KT’s Art Tag series.
Cardinal has in fact already begun a partnership with Flying Hound. Flying Hound is another new business that specializes in frozen treats, but these are intended for four-legged patrons. Every Tuesday night, the two businesses team up to host an “Ice Cream Social,” so people and their pets can both enjoy a cool treat.
Andrea’s two daughters, Tallie and Jaime Doyle, are helping their mother run the new business by taking shifts behind the counter. Far from being “voluntold,” Andrea says that the two girls were enthusiastic about the work.
“Ever since they could play together, they played store or restaurant,” says Andrea. “Your mom opens an ice cream stand, you get to serve your friends, you have to be responsible… they’re learning responsibility and entrepreneurship and counting change and quality control and quantity control. So it’s pretty great.”
So what’s in store for Cardinal? They’ll keep rotating their selection of flavours (except for a few constant favourites, says Andrea) and play host to more community events. Thomas and Andrea also intend to stay open all year round — though they may have to switch up their menu once the cold weather hits.
Cardinal Ice Cream is located at 991 Wellington St.W. You can also follow them on Twitter and Instagram.
Some other new local businesses that have opened their doors in Kitchissippi:
GSS Flameworking (formerly, The Glass Shoppe Studio)
911 Richmond Rd.
Founded by local artisan Grace Edwards, The Glass Shoppe Studio touts itself as Ottawa’s “only full supply teaching studio.” Check out their online calendar for bead making classes and workshops: GSSflameworking.ca.
Wave Hair Salon
80 Holland Ave.
Owner and longtime hairdresser Chantal Letto founded this hair salon just a block north of Wellington West. At Wave, customers can enjoy a haircut and a cappuccino all in the same trip.
Engel & Volkers, Ottawa Central
1433 Wellington St. W.
Ottawa real estate veteran John King heads the team at the new Ottawa central branch of Engel & Völkers, a real estate firm originally founded in Hamburg, Germany.
Massage Addict
1329 Wellington St. W.
Owners Larry Poirier and Lucille Perrault opened the Wellington West branch of the Massage Addict franchise last spring, and will be expanding with a location on Bank Street in the fall.
Mocktail
1440 Wellington St. W.
The sequel to Joanna and Alison Hughes’ women’s second-hand designer clothing store AMH Style, Mocktail follows the same “curated consignment” model for a young adult clientele.
Hintonburg Hairhouse
1004 Wellington St. W.
New to Wellington West last spring, the Hintonburg Hairhouse is a vintage salon that offers clientele a range of modern styles and colours.
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