A new Lehigh Valley ice cream and coffee shop hopes to bring joy one scoop at a time to both customers and its employees.
Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee will have a soft opening June 30 at 3592 Route 378 in Lower Saucon Township, owner Sara Heintzelman said, before a July 14 ribbon cutting.
Staff will serve ice cream, coffee, refreshers and eventually small pancakes with toppings like fruit and chocolate sauce, Heintzelman’s husband Michael Pilato, Get Joy’s operations manager, said.
About half of the employees at Get Joy have disabilities or are neurodivergent, Heintzelman said, while the other half work as their mentors — together, they are known as the “Joy Crew.”
Heintzelman has a doctorate in educational sciences and has worked for the last 17 years at Centennial School at Lehigh University, which serves students with disabilities and trains people to work with those students.
“Part of where Get Joy came from is I was noticing that our students, that had really incredible support … at Centennial School, were needing a really positive, supportive environment for their first jobs,” she said. “And so I kind of took about 10 years to look around and think about if I were to design a business that would be kind of near what Centennial does, which is provide scaffolds and supports that are appropriate and aligned to the students’ needs, what would that business be? And I wanted it to be a place that people were generally happy, and I landed on ice cream.”
Pilato, who taught for 18 years in New Jersey and operates two STEM-based summer camps there and at Lehigh University, left his teaching job at the beginning of this year to work at Get Joy.
“I loved being in education but I knew I wanted to be a full-time entrepreneur outside of the public school classroom,” he said.
About half of the employees at Get Joy are either disabled or neurodivergent, Heintzelman said, while the other half work as their mentors — together known as the “Joy Crew.”
Seventeen-year-old Matteo Amato said he wanted to join the crew because he likes ice cream (chocolate is a favorite), he wants to help people and he wants to make some money. Having opened a bank account, he’d like to save up for movies and Lego sets.
“I love ‘The Lego Batman Movie,’ ” Amato said.
Twenty-year-old Lia Sampson said she had been looking for a job that could meet the requirements to let her work with one hand, noting it’s difficult to find opportunities like that.
“It’s been fun, really fun,” she said. “I’m meeting new friends, getting new experiences.”
Lisa Pfizenmayer said she retired earlier this month after 32 years with the Bethlehem Area School District ahead of her work as a mentor at Get Joy. That mentorship can include building communication skills such as greetings and making eye contact.
“One of the things I’ve always pushed with my students was that I always wanted them to look ahead and try to find skills that could help them later on in life,” she said. “And I thought that this was a great connection of now I can continue to help the kids move on with whatever they decide to do in life. And the fact that she employs both the special needs and the other kids to actually act as junior mentors, I thought was a great connection too, because I wouldn’t just work with the kids trying to learn the job but also the kids who were trying to help them.”
Sixteen-year-old Hannah Brodhead said she took on Get Joy to work as one of those junior mentors, and that she eventually wants to work in special education.
“I think sometimes our world is so fast paced, and sometimes it’s easy to just overlook things,” she said. “So I think … it really highlights that once again, everyone has different abilities and we’re all capable of being able to accomplish the same things. It might be a little bit slower, it might be a little bit faster. There might be some accommodations, but we can be happy people and everyone has potential to be happy. Everyone has potential to do what they want to. Just put in a little bit of hard work. And I’m excited to help those people achieve their goals and get a job that maybe, growing up, they didn’t have that opportunity somewhere else.”
Lia’s mother Rebekah Sampson said Get Joy was supportive enough to send interview questions and tips to practice in advance.
“We wanted her to have a good base and we wanted to increase her self-esteem and her self-worth as she looks at becoming a member of the community,” Rebekah said. “She has felt very strongly about wanting a job for a long time, and this seemed like a good way for her to start practicing those skills and be able to feel like she is offering a service that people enjoy, and feeling like she’s part of the community.”
Amato’s mother Jessica Grey, noting that he has autism and is a former student of Centennial School, said, “When they were going to offer him the job, they asked, ‘Do you think he would want an email or would he be interested in having something big? And of course, knowing my son, I was like, ‘He wants the big thing.’ So they [filmed] him and they came and offered him the job with his T-shirt, like everything, and … he was so excited, he was like, ‘This is the best day ever.’ And … just seeing other people wanting to see your child succeed is amazing.”
The shop will operate 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
New employees are trained to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
New employees are trained to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Chocolate marshmallow ice cream is scooped as a group of new employees are trained to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee co-owners Michael Pilato and Sara Heintzelman have a training day for their employees Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Lower Saucon Township. New employees learned to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee co-owner Sara Heintzelman trains Lia Sampson on the cashless register Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at the shop in Lower Saucon Township. Get Joy, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
New employees are trained to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
New employees are trained to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Tea in a can is made to order as new employees are trained to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Verenna Weber, left, puts a lid on a cup of iced tea with help from Hannah Brodhead as new employees learn to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Verenna Weber and Hannah Brodhead practice making and serving a cup of iced tea as new employees learn to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Tea in a can is made to order as new employees are trained to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee employee Hannah Brodhead sits for a moment Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at the Lower Saucon Township shop. Get Joy, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Outdoor seating Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Tea in a can is made to order as new employees are trained to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Chocolate marshmallow ice cream is scooped as a group of new employees are trained to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Matteo Amato takes a break from training Tuesday, June 9, 2026, and sits with his mother, Jessica Grey, in the outdoor seating area at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Lisa Pfizenmayer, a crew member at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township, attends an employee training session June 9, 2026. New employees learned to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Tea in a can is made to order as new employees are trained to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
New employees are trained to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Lia Sampson serves her mother, Rebekah Sampson, a cup of iced tea Tuesday, June 9, 2026 during a training day at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. New employees learned to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
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New employees are trained to make and scoop ice cream, serve coffee and tea, and work the cashless register Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Get Joy Ice Cream & Coffee in Lower Saucon Township. The shop, which employs people with disabilities and high school students, will hold a soft opening starting June 30 and then a grand opening July 14. It will offer ice cream, Firehouse Coffee coffee and other refreshments. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Retail Watch is a weekly column covering retail and restaurant news in the Lehigh Valley. Have a question, tip, or want to see something in the area? Contact retail reporter Graysen Golter at retailwatch@mcall.com.