Dreamys Ice Cream in Boone County was co-founded by David Draper, who aspires to give back to the community that has helped his company flourish over the years.
After his wife, Samantha, saw that Boone County had less creamy whip shops than the other side of the river, Draper launched his ice cream company in 2019.
According to Samantha, “I’m from the west side of Cincinnati, where there are creamy whips in every neighborhood.” This place had creamy whips, but not in the way I was accustomed to seeing them.
The couple bought a trailer, parked it on a Hebron corner, and sold ice cream to people in the neighborhood. According to Draper, their first objective was to earn enough cash to cover the trailer’s cost. In return, the community purchased enough ice cream for the Drapers to begin performing at events in Boone County.
Eventually, the business proved to be successful enough for the couple to start exploring the possibility of expanding into a brick-and-mortar storefront. This led them to Burlington.
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The Drapers made the decision to gamble on an abandoned pawn shop location at 3020 Washington St. in Burlington, next to the Boone County Justice Center, towards the end of 2019. For a projected opening in 2020, the two spent the rest of the year beautifying and restoring the facility.
The Drapers had made significant investments in their Burlington storefront by March 2020 in the hopes that this would be the year that their company really took off. Despite the trailer’s initial success, Dreamy’s growth was abruptly halted by the global COVID-19 outbreak. The store had only been open for perhaps a week at this point.
After exchanging glances, my wife and I asked ourselves, “What are we going to do?” “Said Draper.”
The pivot then came. The Drapers found innovative ways to keep their firm afloat despite the pandemic. They began selling Bundles of Joy, which are hand-delivered ice cream bundles sent straight to clients’ houses after they were told to stay inside, after attending an ice cream trade event. The bundles contained cones or cups, toppings, and two pints of ice cream.
According to David, the company sold over 40,000 pints in March 2020 alone. Families looking for solace and camaraderie during a trying period found resonance in the straightforward idea. The deliveries’ success enhanced Dreamy’s standing as a community-focused company across Boone County.
Five years later, in the old Beaverlick Trading Post building on 2009 Beaver Road in Union, the Drapers launched their second store. The Drapers sell the business as a family-friendly destination, so even though it’s off the usual route, the rural setting has its benefits.
After all, Draper stated, we want to go where the people want us to go.
Draper told LINK nky that the local ice cream community supports one another and that he isn’t attempting to directly compete with other mom-and-pop creamy whip shops. He believes that everyone can have a sizable portion of the market.
According to David, we strongly support collaboration in the ice cream sector. We pay close attention to where we travel.
What began as a trailer-based ice cream business has expanded to include three trucks and two physical facilities. Draper stated that while he is not yet prepared to make any formal public announcements, he has plans to grow Dreamys.
We go for broke, David said. We love what we do. We re passionate about it, and we love this industry, and we love that it supports the community, and the community supports us.
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