L. SAUCON TWP., Pa. – Just in time for the summer heat waves, a new spot for chilled treats is set to open soon in Northampton County.
Get Joy, an ice cream and coffee shop that employs individuals with different abilities, will open later this month at 3592 Route 378 in Lower Saucon Township, co-owner Sara Heintzelman told 69 News.
The space, which was previously home to a Brazilian jiu-jitsu and cardio kickboxing studio, underwent renovations that include new flooring, lighting, kitchen equipment and more.
Soft-opening events, starting in mid-June, will be announced on the business’ social media pages in the coming weeks, and regular hours will kick off on June 30, Heintzelman said.
Starting June 30, the shop’s regular hours will be 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.
In conjunction with the Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce, Get Joy also will hold a grand opening event from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on July 14. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 5:50 p.m.
“We’re so excited,” Heintzelman told 69 News on Wednesday.
Heintzelman, a Hellertown native, is a technology integration specialist at Bethlehem’s Centennial School, a Lehigh University-affiliated laboratory school that pursues two principal missions: serving children and youth with educational disabilities and preparing high quality teachers to enter the special education workforce.
With Get Joy, Heintzelman and her husband, Michael Pilato, are aiming to establish a joyful and inclusive space that promotes family connections, encourages community involvement, and offers meaningful workforce development opportunities for individuals with different abilities.
Get Joy is coming soon to 3592 Route 378 in Lower Saucon Township.
Ryan Kneller
“There’s definitely a need for this type of business in the community,” Heintzelman said.
“Eighty percent of individuals with disabilities are unemployed, and so we really feel strongly called to change that narrative. I’m a special educator myself, and I’ve been wanting to bring a business like this to the community for a while. I’ve been at the Centennial School for 17 years, and I’ve watched as a lot of our students have struggled to find their first job and keep it. So, I thought, ‘What if I could take all of the supports that we know work at school and then transfer them into a business environment?’ I then spent a lot of time observing places where people were generally happy and landed on ice cream.”
Heintzelman and Pilato designed their new shop to accommodate customers and employees of all abilities.
Unique features include an adult-size changing table in the bathroom and an ADA-accessible outdoor play structure, designed to resemble an ice cream truck.
The play structure, which was constructed by Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School students, also will feature 3D-printed, interactive ice cream pieces.
“This will be a place for everyone, including individuals with autism, mobility issues and so on,” Heintzelman said.
“We’re being very intentional with how we design the space, with features like ramps and ADA accessible serving areas. We also just really wanted to create a place where our own family would want to go to, which is a place where kids can play and be happy, while parents hang out and enjoy their ice cream and coffee.”
Get Joy, with indoor seating for around 20 customers and additional seating outdoors, will offer hard and soft ice cream, freshly brewed coffee and made-to-order tiny pancakes, Heintzelman said.
The ice cream will be made on-premises, and a production room will feature a window that allows customers to watch as the ice cream is made.
Ice cream will be available in cups or cones, including made-on-site waffle cones, and there will be a wide array of traditional and unique flavors, along with dairy-free and gluten-free selections, Heintzelman said.
The shop will open with 12 hard flavors, and its lineup will eventually expand to 24, Heintzelman said.
Sauces and toppings will be available to customize your order.
The tiny pancakes also will feature a variety of options, including crushed cookies, marshmallow sauce, strawberries, bananas, blueberries, bacon pieces and more.
For the coffee, Get Joy is partnering with Maxatawny Township-based coffee roaster Firehouse Coffee, which will be creating a signature brew for the shop, Heintzelman said.
To start, drip coffee and on-tap iced coffee will be available, with lattes and other specialty drinks to be introduced down the line, Heintzelman said.
“We also wanted to create a convenient place for people looking to get their coffee early in the morning,” Heintzelman said.
“So, that’s why we’ll be opening at 7 a.m. This is a heavily traveled roadway, and we also have a residential neighborhood behind us where we hope to attract a lot of foot traffic from as well.”
For the latest Get Joy updates, follow the business’ pages on Facebook and Instagram.