L. SAUCON TWP., Pa. \u2013 Just in time for the summer heat waves, a new spot for chilled treats is set to open soon in Northampton County.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Soft-opening events, starting in mid-June, will be announced on the business\u2019 social media pages in the coming weeks, and regular hours will kick off on June 30, Heintzelman said.<\/p>\n
Starting June 30, the shop\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re so excited,\u201d Heintzelman told 69 News on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Heintzelman, a Hellertown native, is a technology integration specialist at Bethlehem\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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Get Joy is coming soon to 3592 Route 378 in Lower Saucon Township.<\/p>\n
Ryan Kneller<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s definitely a need for this type of business in the community,\u201d Heintzelman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEighty percent of individuals with disabilities are unemployed, and so we really feel strongly called to change that narrative. I\u2019m a special educator myself, and I\u2019ve been wanting to bring a business like this to the community for a while. I\u2019ve been at the Centennial School for 17 years, and I\u2019ve watched as a lot of our students have struggled to find their first job and keep it. So, I thought, \u2018What if I could take all of the supports that we know work at school and then transfer them into a business environment?\u2019 I then spent a lot of time observing places where people were generally happy and landed on ice cream.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heintzelman and Pilato designed their new shop to accommodate customers and employees of all abilities.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The play structure, which was constructed by Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School students, also will feature 3D-printed, interactive ice cream pieces.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be a place for everyone, including individuals with autism, mobility issues and so on,\u201d Heintzelman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The shop will open with 12 hard flavors, and its lineup will eventually expand to 24, Heintzelman said.<\/p>\n
Sauces and toppings will be available to customize your order.<\/p>\n
The tiny pancakes also will feature a variety of options, including crushed cookies, marshmallow sauce, strawberries, bananas, blueberries, bacon pieces and more.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also wanted to create a convenient place for people looking to get their coffee early in the morning,\u201d Heintzelman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, that\u2019s why we\u2019ll 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the latest Get Joy updates, follow the business\u2019 pages on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n