Nicole Lewis needed a change. Having worked in the health care sector for nearly 20 years, Nicole wanted to experience more independence. So nearly two years ago she and her husband, Mike, opened Rustic Scoops Ice Cream Bar Inc. in Corunna and not long afterwards expanded the business with a second store in Petrolia. "I used to go visit my grandparents up north in Little Rapids near Thessolan, Ontario when I was a child and it was fun to hop into the car and go down to the local shop where everybody knew everybody else," Nicole says. "Would I open an ice cream store in downtown Toronto? Probably not. I like the small-town feel; the sense of family and creating memories. Just looking at that five-year-old who is looking through the glass at the ice cream as you scoop it melts your heart. Those are the memories you create."
Nicole didn’t have experience working in retail, but that didn’t concern her in the least. "I worked in human resources, health and safety, management-level corporate positions and basically with those skills, managing people over time, that is what I brought to the table when I became self-employed," Nicole says. "Having those skills helped me get the business up and going." Nicole also managed the books for her husband’s business, another entrepreneur, so she was familiar with the numbers side of being a business owner. Nicole knew it was time to change careers when she sat at her desk looking outside at others enjoying their lives. "I want to enjoy my kids, my grandkids, my nieces and nephews. This was the solution. Life is too short, and I realized I had to do what makes me happy. This is my happy place." While Nicole worked full time last year while launching the business, this year she decided to resign from her full time job to follow her dream.
The next chapter was an easy choice for Nicole. "I have always wanted to open an ice cream store," Nicole says. "You go back to your childhood and those were the happiest memories, going with your grandma and grandpa to the local store to get a scoop of ice cream." Having a career in healthcare during the pandemic was tough. "I felt the time was right to make the switch, even though it was probably the worst time to leave a fulltime job with full benefits. I just wanted to go out on my own and make my dream come true."
Rustic Scoops features many different flavours of ice cream as well as cupcakes, milkshakes, frozen yogurt, ice cream floats, ice cream sandwiches and Italian soda. Nicole’s favorite flavour of ice cream is lavender lemonade. "It tastes like the top of a lemon meringue pie," Nicole says. Nicole’s strategy for running a successful business was simple. "I wanted to have a place that was welcoming for families to come in and enjoy the moments they have together."
If you are listening to radio in Sarnia-Lambton, chances are that you are listening to a Blackburn radio station. The fifth generation of the Blackburn family currently owns the company, which operates Sarnia-Lambton stations CHOK, The Fox and K106.3. They are a family with a long history in the med
When somebody asks Darryl Carver what he does for a living, his first inclination is to respond, I'm a farmer. That's not quite true—yet. But he is inching closer and closer to making it a reality. Carver, 42, along with his wife, Shauna, and three sons Gavin, 13, Gibson, 8, and Hudson,
Lisa Aubin spent the majority of her career working in human resources. She had been a human resource manager at a large local business for many years when downsizing led to a choice between a job in Mississauga or a severance pac...
Since September 2011, Chef Paresh Thakkar has been serving up delicious food from Personal Touch Eatery & Catering. Opening his own business gave him the creative freedom to cook unique dishes with global flavours. I watched my Mom and Grandma cook and learned by how they did things. There wa
The Alzheimer Society of Sarnia-Lambton was established in 1986 by a group of local volunteers. The first meeting was held in Petrolia at Twilight Haven Home for the Aged which is now known as Lambton Meadowview Villa. Dorothea Rivett was a driving force for the Society. If it wasn't for her an
Nobody will ever accuse Randy Coady or Andre Proia of easing into retirement. A chance meeting of the two men who went to high school together, but hadn't seen each other for 40 years, has led to the launching of Alfredo Pasta Boutique in Sarnia. Alfredos is a gourmet boutique offering fre
The first thing that jumps out to any visitor to Sipkens Nurseries website is the bold statement: Family-owned and operated in Wyoming since 1989. That's because, without question, the Sipkens family takes great pride in their homegrown business that was started by parents Ken and Jennifer. Their
All it took was one shot and Steve Arseneault was hooked. He instantly expanded from being an avid photographer to being a birder. Photography is something I have been doing for a long time, but I am new to the birding thing. I would take photos while on vacation or when my son was playing