The Business of Ice Cream and Motherhood

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Firmly saddled in my mid-30s, there are many things in life I still find a mystery: 

Why do I still crave iced coffee when it’s 9 degrees out? 

Where have all the orphaned socks gone?

How is 1998 20 years ago?

What drives someone to open their own business?  Who are these folks who have found a way to combine passion for what they love with good business sense?

I sat down with Melanie Goggin, owner of Mel’s Downtown Creamery in Pawcatuck, CT, right over the Westerly line to get to the bottom of the last question. This month she celebrates 6 years in business. In full disclosure, Melanie and I go back more than 16 years.  A lot has changed for both us since college: new jobs, engagements, weddings, new homes, babies.  Like our lives, her 6 year journey as a business owner has also evolved as she juggles the everyday responsibilities of running her shop, community involvement, and motherhood.

Tell me a littlInterior Mel's Downtown Creamery Providence Moms Bloge bit about Mel’s Downtown Creamery.
Mel’s Downtown Creamery is a 50’s style ice cream shoppe with modern sweet treat flare. We offer a wide variety of ice cream flavors and sweet treats (like chocolate covered cheesecake, and coffee cake milkshakes). We’re open year round and host free family fun events such as story time, blood drives, and much more. 
     
You just celebrated your 6th year in business!  What made you decide to open your own business?  And why ice cream?  
Running a small business has always been a part of who I am since I come from an entrepreneurial family. Part of me always wanted my own business, but it wasn’t until I managed Sundaes, an ice cream shop in Cranston, that I truly found a dream: ice cream! Ice cream became a passion, and so did the business. I craved more. I loved everything about it! I was able to be creative, have fun, and I had the opportunity to implement my own ideas. In the fall of 2011, the opportunity to open a business where I grew up fell into my lap. An existing ice cream shop was closing and one of the partners’ daughters rode the bus with my sister. I couldn’t ignore the opportunity. After a few meetings, my husband and I decided that if I was ever going to run my own shop that this was the place and the time. ice cream sundaes Providence Moms Blog
 
Tell us the truth: do you get to sample all of the new flavors?  
YES! We all enjoy our fair share of ice cream. It is important for each member of my crew to know what the flavors taste like so they can truthfully let customers know what our products taste like. Honesty is important, even in ice cream!  Oh, and it’s a huge advantage to the job! 
 
How has business ownership changed since becoming a mom?  
It’s changed in so many ways!  Before becoming a mom, I often worked daily from open to close or 80+ hours a week. My life revolved around work. I found myself saying no to so many moments that I now realize I shouldn’t have. “I’m sorry I have to work,” was a regular and acceptable response for me. Since having my first son (now age 4), I learned to “let go” and delegate more responsibilities. I put my faith and trust into my staff and quickly learned that by empowering them, they not only grew individually but truly took pride in my shoppe as well. By doing this, I was able to stay home with my son. I dropped to 20 hours per week and worked in the shoppe at night.  Since my second son’s arrival last summer, the balancing act has been even more intense, especially with my 4 year old  in afternoon preschool. I have not physically been back at the shoppe much since, but I’m blessed that I am able to rely on my staff to run Mel’s Downtown Creamery and to run it well. Of course it’s challenging to be the best mom to my boys and to properly take care of my “first baby,” my store!  I continue to work hard nonstop behind the scenes. After the kids go to bed at night, you can find me scrambling to get as much work done as possible. If anything though, I think my physical absence from Mel’s Downtown Creamery allows me to be more focused on the many other tasks involved with being a business owner: scheduling, placing orders, accounting, banking, social media, marketing, booking fundraisers, planning events. The list goes on.  Even though I am not always present in the creamery, I continue to feel a great sense of accomplishment, even if most of my role these days largely takes place behind the scenes.   
staff at Mel's Downtown Creamery Providence Moms Blog 
What are the advantages/disadvantages of being a mom and owning your own business?
Besides my children, I also have a staff for which I am responsible. They are my priority and that means sometimes I cannot pay myself. But, owning my own business gives me the freedom that when my kids are sick, or have an event or parent teacher conferences I can be there. The flip side is that sometimes I have no choice but to go into work because the store is also my responsibility. Running in to cover a scheduling gap was easier before I had children. I am no longer a single unit! I have taken my kids to work with me in extreme situations. It’s amazing how much you can pull off when you need to, but it can also very stressful. In all the ups and downs of running a business, I hope that I am creating a legacy my children can be proud of and maybe someday wish to take over themselves. I know I am at the very least providing them an example of what hard work and dedication can create.   
 
You’re very involved in the community.  What motivates you to help others?
I LOVE PEOPLE and am in love with our community. I have always said I am very lucky to be a part of my community. I work hard to help my community grow and flourish. We regularly hold food drives, fundraisers, free family events (like Pictures with Santa), blood drives, story time, summer reading programs, and so much more. I can’t begin to explain the feeling I get when a child is proud that they have met their summer reading goal and can come get their free ice cream cone from Mel’s for that achievement. Watching a fundraiser filled with people who are solely there to support an individual raise funds for a service dog or to battle cancer is so inspiring to me. Since becoming a mother, I feel like I am even more committed to making an impact in the community and set an example for my children. I consider myself lucky I have this amazing business that can gives me a voice and can be an outlet to help others and hopefully make a difference. 

 After talking to Melanie, I know that she could have continued to gush about Mel’s Downtown Creamery.  It’s abundantly clear how much she truly loves what she does from not only a business perspective but also as a part of her burgeoning community.  Finding a balance between work and motherhood is no small feat, and it’s uplifting for any mother to watch another mother succeed.  And, I for one feel much closer to solving at least one mystery in life.
 
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Robin Barton
Robin is a working mother of two very precious, but very precocious sons ages 10 and 6. A lifelong Rhode Islander, she lives in the Providence area with her husband of 14+ years and boys. She is a Bryant University graduate (back in the day when it used to be called Bryant College) where she also received an MBA. In between refereeing her boys' impromptu wrestling matches, carting them between school and practice and handling occasional work issues outside business hours, Robin enjoys cooking/baking (but not the mess they create), 80s music, checking out family friendly events/destinations (pre-COVID that is), visiting new breweries and wineries with her hubby, buying new makeup and taking WAY too many photos (YOLO). She also considers herself an aficionado of naps. Robin believes that it is possible to find both motherhood and a career simultaneously rewarding, with the right support system....and an Amazon Prime account.