Friday, June 29, 2007
Wisconsin Freeze
Last night before going to bed, Betsey told me that Ed owned an ice cream store in Wisconsin. Is this true? I had never heard about this before. It was like a stranger was in the bed next to me. I need verification, and maybe some stories. I also need to know if there were free samples.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Yes, Richard, it is true. Ed has always been a man of ideas, and one of his better ideas was to open a top of the line, 15% butterfat ice cream store. In Wisconsin, in 1980, we had a really good friend named Leigh Brinkerhoff (he and his wife were at your wedding reception). Leigh had all the big bucks and banking connections, and so Leigh and Ed and two other men started an ice cream store in the Beloit Mall. We wanted to cash in on the Haagen Daz cachet, so we called it Loft Haus Ice Cream. Ed and I got to create the menu, so we did all the specialty dishes with names that included the word Haus. We had the Big Haus, and wrote the sundae description using prison images. There was the doll Haus with smaller sizes for girls, etc, etc. We had so much fun, and I remember laughing and laughing as we came up with all our ideas. We had a huge open house and I remember being there with the kids. We would go out to the store from time to time with the family, but we were never too involved in the day to day operations.
It was a great tax write-off (read hemorraghing money), and I was relieved when we moved to Indiana, and were able to sell our share (ie, pay out our yearly portion of the debt).
The other three men stayed with it for another two or three years, and Leigh is still talking to us, so I don't think they made out too poorly, but it was always a fun conversation starter--we were part owners of an ice cream store.
I'm sure there are many such vignettes in our family past. Aren't you thrilled to get a chance over the next eighty years or so to hear more exploits of the Gimbels?
I want to hear more Hawkins' adventures, though. I know your life was so much more interesting, with all your world travels. My love to you both!
Claudia
Blue Moon Bubble Gum Ice Cream is really all I remember. Dad would bring it home in those huge tan 5 gallon tubs. He'd bring those along with those Pac-Man shaped ice cream bars on a stick. Yum.
I vaguely remember the ribbon cutting ceremony and going to the shoppe possibly once or twice. It was long and skinny and typical ice-cream-shoppe-in-a-mall looking.
I had always thought the name was "Fat Eds" or something like that, but being that I was about 4 years old -- I'm sure Claudia has that right.
Can't wait to see you Bets! Have a safe trip back.
Love you!
-M
That is great! I just can't believe that it hasn't come up in our conversations before. It's every kid's dream to have an ice cream store in the family! I'm hoping for more fun surprises like this one over the next 80 years.
P.S. Marjorie, Betsey also specifically mentioned the Blue Moon Bubblegum ice cream that Ed brought home.
Richard
I've heard this one before, but it is still as weird to me as it is to you richard.
-karl
that blue moon must have been the biggest hit - cause that is what i remember too. --
rich have you heard the crazy ed stories from when he was young and build a rollercoaster in his backyard. i love the old old school ed stories they still amaze me.
I love the ice cream stories, but I'm sad that I joined the family about 20 years too late to enjoy the Blue Moon Bubble Gum! I also like when Ed tells the story about the backyard, Stacey!
rollercoasters and fires and stealing lumber and who knows what else... I think any of us gimbel kids would have gotten in trouble for that kind of mischief.
-karl
Post a Comment