CraveABLEs Ice Cream, known for employing people with intellectual disabilities, is temporarily closing its storefront after an electrical fire.
On September 21, smoke was discovered inside the Lynchburg shop just before opening. Firefighters later determined the fire had damaged the building’s electrical panels.
“Nobody was here,” said founder Taylor Perkins. “The only reason we knew about it is when we came in for work, there was smoke upstairs.”
The fire was contained, but the shop now faces weeks of repairs while the panels are replaced and rewired. The setback comes just a year after the business first opened.
“It’s very unfortunate, because our employees really rely on their schedule, and they are excited to come to work, it’s part of their routine,” Perkins said. “Having to tell families and our employees we’re temporarily closed, that’s definitely hard.”
The ice cream shop has more than 30 employees, about half of them with intellectual disabilities. Perkins says protecting those jobs is just as important as reopening the store. In the meantime, the nonprofit is leaning on its ice cream truck and a pop-up inside Mission House Coffee to keep serving customers.
“We’ll be there through the end of November and then close during the winter months,” Perkins said. “Our hope is that if it’s successful, we’ll open back up in spring and summer.”
The pop-up offers a smaller menu. 8 flavors instead of their usual 16-flavor lineup, but Perkins says fan favorites are still available. A few employees have also transitioned to working there temporarily.
“Our employees really rely on customers coming in, giving them a time to show off their abilities, to show their job skills,” Perkins said. “Some of our employees was like, when will we come back to work? Is it payday yet? They’ve been very supportive and caring but they’re ready to get back to work.”
At first, Perkins wasn’t sure if craveABLEs would return to the Lakeside Drive storefront, but with the landlord committed to repairs, the plan is to reopen once the lights are back on.
“It’s very hard when you have unknown setbacks like a fire, but I’ve been told it’s all part of business. You just gotta keep rolling and it’s just a small bump in the road,” Perkins said.