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Owner Tricia Davis standing outside of Scoops on First, along First Street in Downtown Fort Myers. -JEFFREY HRUNKA \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n
Scoops on First has always been known for its freshly scooped ice cream sundaes and sweet treats, but owner Tricia Davis believes the ice cream parlor\u2019s family atmosphere is what keeps driving people back. That family feel has extended to every employee who\u2019s called Scoops on First a second home.\n<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all because of Davis\u2019 involvement in her employees\u2019 lives as both a mentor and a boss.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, she\u2019s kind of just like a second mom to me,\u201d Odebralski said. \u201cI work by myself during the days, and then, like she\u2019s always helpful\u2026 if you need time off and like last minute, like she\u2019s willing to help you because she understands life happens.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Scoops on First started as an idea built from Davis\u2019 stepdad and mother, Dave and Lori Large, looking for a sweet treat after lunch in Downtown Fort Myers, to no avail. They realized there wasn\u2019t an ice cream shop in the heart of the city. After going for a walk, they found an open unit on First Street, decided to rent it out, starting an ice cream parlor as their retirement plan.\n<\/p>\n
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Employee Meagan Odebralski scoops fan-favorite flavor Insta Graham for customers. -JEFFREY HRUNKA \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n
The ice cream parlor opened in September of 2015 and has been a staple of the Southwest Florida community since.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t tell you the first time because I feel like, as long as I can remember, that ice cream place has been there, and as long as I\u2019ve been going to downtown Fort Myers,\u201d Fort Myers resident Emma Stevenson said. \u201cIt\u2019s somehow been involved in my trips down there; most of my memories are just with friends.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Davis ran the shop for nearly a decade before officially taking ownership in August of 2024. For her, it\u2019s been the customers and the regulars she has seen grow up, that have made this endeavor worth it.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI love all the customers and the regulars that you see come in the doors all through the season, and how so many people come in and just say they love, that we\u2019re still here,\u201d Davis said.\n<\/p>\n
All guests are welcomed with the sights of 52 flavors of ice cream, sugar-free and dairy-free flavors. They also offer several alternative desserts in banana splits, smoothies, milkshakes and floats. For frequent visitors, no two flavors stay the same, as they are always offered with something new when they walk in.\n<\/p>\n
This includes Scoops on First\u2019s biggest event of the year, \u2018Christmas in July,\u2019 where they bring back several of their winter flavors for the summer.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are our holiday flavors, which come back and everybody is excited for them,\u201d Davis said. \u201cThen before we know it, they\u2019re back in two months because I\u2019ll start getting them in September.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Teaching future generations<\/p>\n
For Davis, owning an ice cream parlor isn\u2019t just about serving up a sweet treat. She\u2019s using her business to provide future generations with a first step into the job market.\n<\/p>\n
\u201c(Davis) was like, \u2018Well, let them come in, and give them a shot,\u2019\u201d employee Meagan Odebralski said. \u201cWe\u2019re high school kids; we have the availability. It\u2019s a great first job, and she loves to help support kids who are in the local school system.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\tCustomers can choose from 52 flavors of homemade ice cream. -JEFFREY HRUNKA \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\tA look inside Scoops on First, along First Street in Downtown Fort Myers. -JEFFREY HRUNKA \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY Not only does she provide them with a place to earn their first paycheck, but she also uses the position to teach them the ins and outs of what businesses look for in employees.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first started working here, it really got me comfortable talking with customers. Even just asking them questions like \u2018how their day is,\u2019 basic questions about their night,\u201d Odebralski said. \u201cMy future job, I work in the hospital, sometimes I can interact with patients and families on a more comfortable level, and then getting to deal with money and stuff like that is a lot easier.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Davis emphasizes customer service, diligence and money management as the three crucial skills to learn. With customer relationships being the most important.\n<\/p>\n \u201cBeing very friendly with customers. That\u2019s a huge, huge thing with us,\u201d Davis said. \u201cNo matter. If they\u2019re having a bad day or not, they\u2019re not having a bad day. And scoops, you leave your life outside those doors.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Even with a focus on developing a work ethic, she makes sure her employees put their education first, allowing them to do their homework during slow periods before busy hours.\n<\/p>\n Fan favorite flavor \u2018Insta Graham\u2019 with another scoop of butterscotch ice cream. -JEFFREY HRUNKA \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n \u201cSchool comes first, and then work. I have enough employees,\u201d Davis said.\n<\/p>\n This direct and sincere understanding has not only made working there a delight, but has also driven employees to stay long-term and come back after graduating from college.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI love that they stick around,\u201d Davis said. \u201cYou make that bond with them\u2026 They come back (after college) and say, \u2018Well, when I come back in November, will you hire me for the holidays, or will you bring me back? You always tell them, \u2018Of course.\u2019 You hate to lose help that you\u2019ve had for you know, three plus years.\n<\/p>\n With the small amount of employee turnover, Davis has been able to take a step back in her teaching role, with many of the veteran employees playing a bigger role in mentoring the first-time employees.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe mostly communicate through passing or the group chat that we use,\u201d Odebralski said. \u201cWe can let people know, like \u2018hey, this is what you need to do. You\u2019ve done this wrong,\u2019 like or anything like that\u2026 if I close with them, I can show them what to do, show them the ropes, and kind of get them comfortable with how we operate.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Still, Davis makes sure employees are ready for the workday, especially ahead of the fast-approaching busy season.\n<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t ever say that you\u2019re falling behind because you have time, especially in the off-season,\u201d Davis said. \u201cThere\u2019s sometimes where we\u2019re so busy you can\u2019t [do homework]. So, it teaches them everything\u2026 when they leave for college and get another job, they text me. \u2018Oh, I can\u2019t handle it. This is horrible. I want to come back, you know.\u201d And I said, \u2018You don\u2019t understand how flexible I am.\u2019 I\u2019m trying to teach them the way of life.\u201d\n<\/p>\n This service is reflected in why customers keep coming back.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s because it\u2019s just right downtown and it\u2019s easy,\u201d North Fort Myers resident Gerry Bronersky said. \u201cI know there are some other ones you know, but I like this one. Yeah, it\u2019s always been good service.\u201d\n<\/p>\n While running an ice cream shop has been a dream for Davis, the long-term future of the Scoops on First is unknown with the oversaturation of ice cream parlors becoming a problem for the shop.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Customers-have-the-opportunity-to-pick-from-52-flavours-of-homemade-icecream-1024x768.jpeg\")
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