In their tenth season of producing and selling ice cream, an empty shop is not how co-owner Lauren Schultz imagined Purple Door would celebrate a decade.
"This was the biggest surprise we could have seen for 10 years, but here we are and we are just going to manage as best as we can," said Schultz.
Despite COVID-19 shutting down most businesses, the greater Milwaukee area has come through for this sweet treat.
"So grateful for our customers," said Schultz. "There is such loyalty in Milwaukee of keeping these small businesses open. And we couldn't be more thankful for that. We're doing these online packs, and people are sending them to friends out of state. We are seeing businesses place large orders to send to their workers that are at home just as a way to connect with them."
It's not all about screaming for ice cream though. With kids at home, Purple Door also found a way to sneak in a few lessons.
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"Steve and I, the owners of Purple Door, used to be educators, so that actually came really naturally for us to combine these skills that we have. We know that the ice cream has to be shipped with dry ice, so we thought well, let's include some experiments with each pack. There are also a few other activities that are educationally based as well," said Schultz.
A big hit with families, the kits have allowed Schultz to keep her work family employed.
"It has really helped keep some of our staff employed to fill those orders and we hope to keep it going as long as we can."
As a bonus for ice cream lovers, as of May 1, Purple Door reopened their location in Mequon for curbside pick-up as well.