What’s the Scoop Ice Cream & Board Game Cafe will be closing in Erwin on Oct. 5. The business will be relocating to Johnson City at 104 E. Market Street in downtown Johnson City at the previous location of Fizz Soda Bar.
Financial reasons prompted the relocation, and according to owner Kenneth Perciful, rent and utilities will be less expensive in Johnson City for the company. The owners of the current Scoop location are in the process of selling the building.
“If the building were to sell in the middle of winter, when I don’t have any revenue coming in from the ice cream, it would be really difficult for us to move or do anything,” says owner Kenneth Perciful. “It was really a do-or-die situation, if that were to have happened, there would be no more What’s the Scoop.”
What’s the Scoop is much loved in the wider Tri-Cities region, with some customers from as far as Bristol traveling (almost an hour away) for the delicious dairy dessert. A welcome side effect of the move is a more central and accessible location close to their customers.
The entire board game collection found at the current location will not be moving with the shop. The new location is smaller and only a small collection of games will be moving. The menu will also be changing slightly as What’s the Scoop has purchased some of Fizz Soda Bar’s equipment.
A key aspect of What’s the Scoop is their constant availability of vegan options. In peak season, 12 dairy options and 4 non-dairy options are available. Almost 4,000 flavors are rotated throughout the summer.
What’s the Scoop serves ice cream at both the Johnson City Farmer’s Market and the East Tennessee State University Farmer’s market. They’re hoping the new location will allow them to partner with more local schools.
Owners, Sharee and Kenneth Perciful first opened What’s the Scoop May 4, 2018 as a place for their three teenagers to disconnect and for the community to bond.
“Community. Hub. Recharge. Disconnect.,” is the motto of the company.
Headline photo: The old location in Erwin, which will be closing on October 5th.