Today we’d like to introduce you to Cherie Ritter.
Hi Cherie , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We opened our first shop in 2010. It was something my husband and I always fantasized about doing in our “semi-retirement” phase of our lives; but came a little early due to the banking collapse. With my 30-year banking career coming to an end, we opened our first shop in downtown Anoka.
Having grown up in White Bear Lake; and having lived in Stillwater for several years – I wanted to BE to Anoka what Cup & Cone and Nelson’s Ice Cream are to White Bear Lake and to Stillwater. I wanted to BE Anoka’s Hometown Ice Cream Shoppe. We selected the highest quality ice cream – a super-premium ice cream by Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream of Madison WI.
We set out to become a true community partner – sponsoring community events, and events for the youth in our area. With this in mind – we started an annual distribution of FREE KIDS SCOOPS to all the local elementary schools. Our first year, I think we passed out some 7,500 coupons. This has grown every year – last year we passed out 30,000!
We opened our second location in Osseo 2020 – during COVID; and set out to become Osseo’s Hometown Ice Cream Shoppe! We bought our mobile trailer in 2024; and this year we celebrated 15 years in business!
With retirement in mind – we brought in our son, Bill. Bill currently acts as a General Manager for us and will be taking the reigns in a few more years!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Well, we did open our first shop immediately after the banking crisis of 2008 – when NO banks were lending money, and our second shop during a worldwide pandemic – so it was not without it’s difficulties!
To finance our venture, we did exactly what everyone says NOT to do. We literally financed our first shop using credit cards. Ironically, it didn’t turn out that bad. As we paid one off – we kept getting 0% balance transfer offers. We ended up with 0% financing – which we paid off in record time!
In 2020, the City of Anoka planned street, sidewalk and sewer maintenance on our street – with OUR street scheduled for July/August! (Our peak months with NO access to our business). Due to COVID, and the City’s requirement for access to some of the residential properties, the City ended up reversing their schedule. Therefore, our street was done first thing in the spring – right when the Covid restrictions hit! So – while we initially closed due to the COVID restrictions, we remained closed as our street literally became a large mud hole!
We were able to focus on opening our second location with all the covid restrictions in place; and had both locations open late spring!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Two Scoops Ice Cream is proud to offer a super-premium brand of ice cream from Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream. Super-premium isn’t just a “buzz” word, it actually means something. A super-premium ice cream means it’s made with the highest quality ingredients; has the lowest overrun (the amount of air), and the highest butterfat content. It’s rich, creamy and dense! You cannot find it in retail stores – only ice cream shops!
Each store carries a rotating 28 flavors – with over 100 to choose from. We also offer a line of OAT (non-dairy) “ice creams” – and YES – we can make you a vegan shake!
We are most proud of our malts. We make our malts thick enough to use a spoon – and they are made with REAL malt powder – for that perfect malty taste!
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Both Anoka and Osseo possess charming, and walk-able downtown areas – full of eclectic shopping and dining options! While parking may sometimes be a challenge – Two Scoops is worth a short walk!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://twoscoopsmn.com
- Instagram: two_scoops_icecream
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/TwoScoopsMN
- Yelp: two-scoops-anoka
