Swanky Scoops: From pop-up shop to corner brick & mortar.

Here's the scoop...

Your support will help us reach the finish line as we work toward opening a brand new scoop shop in Toledo's Warehouse District. 

Currently under construction: more square footage, more flavors, more seating, more hours, more super swanky special events... back us to be a part of downtown getting a whole lot sweeter!

About Swanky Scoops

Under the creative direction of founder Alissa Vieira, Swanky Scoops ice cream company has been perfecting our French-style custard ice cream flavors since 2020, and delighting customers across the region via our mobile ice cream cart, pop-up shops, and grocer's freezers.

We've developed over 40 seasonally-inspired flavors, crafting them in small batches in our current (and now busting-at-the-seams!) production kitchen on 10th Street in downtown Toledo, Ohio.

In 2023 our woman-owned and -operated business received a Dairy Business Innovation Alliance award which accelerated our business in a major way - allowing us to grow production and staffing capabilities to meet our growing wholesale and special event demand.

With a now tried-and-tested confidence that we can meet expanding production needs, we're ready to take on our next challenge:

Treating you in our very own...

Brand New Ice Cream Shop

We've just signed a lease on a new location just steps from the Toledo Farmers' Market and just months from now look forward to you dining with us in the Barber Ferris Building. 

This historic Toledo Warehouse District property sits at the corner of Huron and Market Streets and recent renovations have this 1917 charmer looking ready to welcome you and your favorite handmade artisan ice cream company!

The Barber Ferris building had sat empty for 15 years before being renovated for use. This turn of the century building used to house a produce company, so it's only fitting that an ice cream team crafting flavors with local produce (like the Bench Farms corn in our Midwest Maize flavor) is moving in!

Scoop Shop Vision

Our scoop shop was designed much in the same way we craft our ice cream recipes. The design is coming to life after many hours of careful planning and thoughtful consideration. Swanky Scoops ice cream is an indulgent, luxurious treat and we wanted the space to mirror that elevated quality. While we chose to keep some of the elements of the historic building like the exposed original beams, we focused on dramatic dark colors and the signature gold you find in our brand logo.

When you walk in the doors you will instantly know you’re about to experience something special. While everyone knows kids love ice cream, we chose a design that feels intentionally grown up. Our ice cream tasting parties are an opportunity to enjoy artisan ice cream in a polished setting and we wanted the room to set the scene for a memorable occasion.

Compared to our previous pop-up events, now in addition to scoops of ice cream and to-go pints, we will also host frequent ice cream tasting parties. These events will be offered both publicly and to private groups, and are best compared to the frozen dessert equivalent of a tasting menu. Though our regular business hours will be family friendly, we look forward to hosting gourmet, grown-up events as well.

This new location will allow Swanky Scoops to make our ice cream more available to more people. The spacious new kitchen will allow for more production, increasing opportunities for wholesale accounts alongside the retail expansion. 

I am most looking forward to the expanded retail hours. I'm ready to feel settled and feel at home in our new space. For the last couple years when someone has asked where they can find our products, there's been this long-winded answer about our ice cream cart events, wholesale locations, and then trying to articulate how our pop-up events are scheduled and where to find them. I'm thankful for the path Swanky Scoops has taken to bring us to this new chapter in our scoop shop home!

Downtown Toledo has been a wonderful community in which to grow Swanky Scoops. The plan is to continue our mobile ice cream cart presence at community and private events. We always wanted to stay downtown - just in a locale that is easier to find and open way more frequently to treat you!

Flavors to Look Forward To

Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon ice cream with handmade marshmallow meringue and toasted graham cracker crust crumble. Easily one of our most requested and top-selling scoops!

Basilicious
Refreshing basil ice cream with peppery, anise undertones. Unexpected and oh-so-delicious - put it on your 'must try' list this summer!

ALL the Chocolate
Belgian dark chocolate ice cream with crispy French chocolate pearls and a chocolate ganache. So indulgent and special that this one gets prominently featured in our Valentine Pint Trio!

Sprinkle Surprise
Vanilla cream cheese ice cream with chocolate fudge brownie pieces and rainbow sprinkles. Classic and especially popular among our littlest ice cream fans, this will be in heavy rotation in the scoop shop to keep things kid- and family-friendly!

Orange Cardamom Cranberry
Orange cardamom custard with tart candied cranberries - this winter favorite can also be made into a layered dessert serving up to 16 guests, and we often offer preorders to help you plan for holiday gatherings!

Baked Banana Miso
Miso in ice cream?! Yes. We did - and the people love it! Brown sugar caramelized banana ice cream with white miso.

Kickback Coffee & Cake
We are so proud to partner with local small businesses and farmers to ensure our ice cream features only the very best ingredients. For this flavor, we steep Toledo's own Kickback Coffee's '6AM Toddler' dark roast into the milk during the production process. This dark roast coffee ice cream with a chocolate stout cake crumble will change your opinion of coffee ice cream forever.

About Our New Neighborhood

Swanky Scoops' new brick-and-mortar will reside at 144 S. Huron Street in the heart of the Toledo Warehouse District and overlooking the Toledo Farmers' Market. 

The Warehouse District is one of our city center's most popular and growing neighborhoods - covering 33 blocks full of homes, businesses, restaurants and even a minor league baseball stadium! 

Popular Toledo attractions just steps from our new scoop shop include:

• Toledo Farmers' Market & Libbey Glass Outlet - About 300 feet, or across the street!
• Fifth Third Field (Home of the Toledo Mudhens) - Two blocks
• Huron Street Studios - Two blocks
• Glass City Convention Center - Four blocks
• Toledo Repertoire Theatre - Four blocks
• Middlegrounds Metropark (with river views & a dog park!) - About a 1/2 mile
• Valentine Theatre - 0.7 miles
• Imagination Station - 0.8 miles
• Promenade Park (with Maumee River / boat access) - 0.8 miles
• Historic Old South End & Sofia Quintero Art & Cultural Center - 1 mile
• Toledo Museum of Art & Historic Old West End - 1.4 miles
• Glass City Metropark (including The Ribbon for ice & roller skating) - 1.4 miles
• Toledo Pickle Co. (huge new pickleball center!) - 1.6 miles

Need more reasons to head downtown for ice cream? Check out these community event calendars at Toledo.com and DowntownToledo.org. 

About Our Founder

Born and raised right here in the Toledo metro area, Alissa Vieira graduated from Clay High School in Oregon, Ohio with a dream to explore the world of musical theatre in New York City.

After completing a conservatory program in Manhattan, Alissa began honing her hospitality skills - a time that  would define her future in many ways. New York City is known as a melting pot and the more different cultural influences she was exposed to, the more she wanted to try even more new cuisines!

After meeting her husband, Jay, and imagining a future together, they left NYC for Quincy, Massachusetts outside of Boston. It was this move that allowed Alissa’s career to develop into to a new tier of fine dining service.

“I worked at Radius (Chef Michael Schlow) and then at the Boston Harbor Hotel (with Chef Daniel Bruce at Boston’s only waterfront five star hotel property). The level of thought, planning, and care that went into executing an exceptional guest experience was unlike anything I had known previously. The creativity that shaped the rotating seasonal menus blew me away. These experiences were integral to shaping my perspective on what is possible when you curate a memorable moment for a guest.”

Alissa would eventually bring her culinary passion back to Ohio; where she began to explore the reality of business ownership. Toledo’s commitment to small business development and the support of family close by heavily influenced the creation of Swanky Scoops. 

Swanky Scoops launched in 2020 and Alissa attributes some of her motivation to scale so quickly to motherhood, and the opportunity to show her children that following a dream is possible. “I want them to have confidence to try new things and know that they can do hard things. Starting a business has been hard in ways I didn’t even consider. I try to appropriately share my challenges with my kids and model that having a hard day is a regular part of life along with having good days and big wins. It won’t be easy, but if you’re doing it for the right reasons, it will be worth it.”

From making ice cream during the COVID-19 pandemic in her garage to selling her first pints from behind the counter of the Original Sub Shop, Swanky Scoops’ growth has always been community powered. So many things take a village - or a chorus if you will! - and building a business is no different. We sincerely appreciate your investment in Alissa’s dreams, and look forward to serving you in our new scoop shop soon.

Thank You

None of this would be possible without you, my swanky friends! 

If you weren’t along for the ride I’d be some weird lady who makes ice cream in her garage. Thank you for showing up to our events, trying new flavors, sharing our ice cream with your loved ones, and telling everyone all about Swanky Scoops. 

If you’ve been following along since day one or if Swanky Scoops is new to you now, I am thankful that you’re a part of this adventure. If you’ve liked a social media post, shared our business card, waved to us when we’re out with the cart, or even walked by and said, “SWANKY SCOOPS!” I love you.

To my family, friends, team members who are like family, and fellow small business owners: thank you for cheering me on. Thank you for steering the boat, for building the bicycle while we’re riding it, and for sticking your neck out with me. I’m lucky to know you and have you in my corner!

Thank you for reading through our Kickstarter campaign! If you have questions or if you want to share a thought, please feel welcome to reach me at alissa@swankyscoops419.com. I’m all ears!