Less than six months after she graduated from college, lifelong ice cream devotee and budding entrepreneur Kimberly Yates heeded her professors’ advice.
Do what you know; do what you love, they said, but warned her not to open a restaurant and/or a family business.
Embracing some of their suggestions and ignoring the rest, the Geneva resident got a loan from her parents and opened Kimmer’s Ice Cream on Oct. 29, 2010 in St. Charles.
But owning an ice cream shop wasn’t all chocolate sprinkles and sundaes. At one point, Yates considered calling it quits. Then she met fellow ice cream lover and now-husband Isaac. They opened a second shop in Wheaton in 2015 and a third in Elmhurst in 2018. On Oct. 29, 2016, six years to the day after she opened Kimmer’s, they married.
Ice cream aficionados turned entrepreneurs Kimberly and Isaac Yates own ice cream shops in Elmhurst, St. Charles and Wheaton. “We’re fortunate,” said Kimberly Yates. “We get to do what we love and love what we do.”
Courtesy of Kimmer’s Ice Cream
“We love working together and are fortunate to do so,” Yates wrote in an email. “We get to do what we love and love what we do.”
Owning a small business isn’t easy, said Yates, but if you believe in your product and love what you do it’s always worthwhile.
Dairy Dream co-owner Justin Synnestvedt agrees.
“It’s got its challenges like any business, but it’s an enjoyable way to make a living,” said Synnestvedt who left a career in accounting and finance to help run his family’s seasonal ice cream shop in Libertyville.
Carmel Catholic High School student Caroline Molnar chats with customers at Dairy Dream, a family-owned, walk-up ice cream shop in Libertyville.
John Starks/[email protected]
Established in 1961, Dairy Dream was purchased in 2007 by Synnestvedt’s father-in-law after he noticed ice cream lovers lining up daily at the walk-up ice cream shop. The family also owns the Glenview Dairy Bar, which opened in 1955.
Known for its 28 flavors of soft-serve ice cream, Dairy Dream’s bestsellers are cake batter, pistachio and the seasonal Dreamsicle which combines orange sorbet and vanilla.
“There’s nothing as refreshing as a Dreamsicle on a hot summer day,” Synnestvedt said.
Other popular items include funnel cake sundaes, baseball helmet sundaes and a Boston milkshake — a unique creation that pairs a milkshake with ice cream on the side and a sundae topping.
“It’s the best of both worlds in the same cup,” said Synnestvedt, a Mundelein resident.
Being an independent ice cream shop allows Dairy Dream owners to experiment and modify their menu.
Three-year-old Morgan Echtenacher enjoys a chocolate ice cream cone with sprinkles with dad Kyle Echtenacher at Dairy Dream in Libertyville.
John Starks/[email protected]
“We can try anything that sounds good to us,” Synnestvedt said. “If you’re a chain, you only sell what corporate says you can sell, in the way they tell you to sell it.”
“We can be a lot more creative,” he continued, referring to cheese curds which they added to the menu 15 years ago. “We’ve got real aficionados trying to think of the next great thing.”
Kimmer’s ice cream is handcrafted at the Wheaton shop.
“We don’t have a playbook just our own innovations,” said Yates. “Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t.”
Kimmer’s Ice Cream serves up handcrafted ice cream in its signature sparkle cone at locations in Elmhurst, St. Charles and Wheaton.
Courtesy of Kimmer’s Ice Cream
Known for their signature sparkle cone, Kimmer’s most popular flavors include Peach Cobbler, Fall Harvest Coffee Cake and the Parent Trap, which combines cookies ’n’ cream ice cream with a peanut butter swirl along with seasonal favorites featuring real fruit.
Serving a top-notch product, staying nimble, adapting to changes in the market, incorporating new technology and providing patrons a pleasant experience are essential to success, said Yates.
It helps that longtime independent ice cream shops like Dairy Dream and Kimmer’s Ice Cream have a cross-generational appeal. Synnestvedt says some of their customers have patronized the shops for decades.
Like other small businesses, they’re integral to the community by providing a service and employing residents, Yates said.
“We are so fortunate to be in places where our customers understand the huge impact they make by shopping local,” she said.
At the end of the day, there’s almost no occasion that doesn’t benefit from a scoop of ice cream.
Customers enjoy handcrafted delights at Kimmer’s Ice Cream. Lifelong ice cream aficionado Kimberly Yates opened her first of three shops 14 years ago in St. Charles.
Courtesy of Kimmer’s Ice Cream
“If your baseball team wins, come in and celebrate. If your baseball team loses, come in and cheer up,” said Yates. “Ice cream is a win-win for life’s ups and downs.”
Dairy Dream is at 1229 W. Park Avenue, Libertyville. See dairydreamy.com. The Glenview Dairy Bar is at 1015 Lehigh Ave., Glenview.
Kimmer’s Ice Cream is at 1 W. Illinois St., St. Charles; 109 E. Front St., Wheaton and 110 W. Park Ave., Elmhurst. See kimmersicecream.com.