At 23 years old, Amy Simmons realized what she wanted to do with her life: make people happy, one ice cream scoop at a time. But that wasn’t always the plan.
Before founding one of Texas’ most beloved ice cream chains, Amy’s, the Michigan native thought she was going to be a doctor. As a student at Tuft’s University in Massachusetts, she took a part-time job at Steve’s, a nearby ice cream shop, that quickly became her happy place.
Her coworkers and customers became some of her best friends and, post-graduation, she decided to join Steve’s corporate team and help expand the chain nationwide. She spent years learning the ropes of the ice cream business, opening new stores in New York City, Boston and Florida, until Steve’s was sold in 1983. Although this left Simmons without a job, she saw it as a chance at a new beginning.
Co-owner, Amy Simmons scooping ice cream at Amy’s original Guadalupe location in 1984. (Amy’s Ice Cream/Courtesy of Amy’s Ice Cream)
After reading an article about Austin’s tech growth, she took a two-day trip to the city where she fell in love. That same year, she and her business partner, Phil Clay, uprooted their lives in Boston and moved to Austin to pursue their dream of opening their own ice cream shop, Amy’s.
“I went into Chuy’s and met Mike Young. I went to Texas French Bread and met Judy [Willcott], and they were just so supportive and enthusiastic about the business environment here and the entrepreneurial spirit of Austin,” Simmons told MySA. “And so [I] literally moved to Austin only spending those two days, then wrote a business plan and raised $100,000 and opened the company.”
In 1984, the pair opened the first Amy’s Ice Cream on Guadalupe Street with advice from Young and Willcott, whose bakery was right next door. Inspired by their shared days at Steve’s, Simmons wanted to create a space where she could not only serve delicious ice cream but also foster a fun environment for her customers and employees.
Amy’s Ice Cream employees. (Amy’s Ice Cream/Courtesy of Amy’s Ice Cream)
“I loved working for Steve’s, with the owner that I kind of grew up with, and so I just wanted to duplicate it,” Simmons said. “Our mission statement, is to make people’s day and that’s everybody. So it’s the mailman, it’s, certainly your employees, your suppliers, your shareholders, your customers, like, just make a difference in people’s lives. Because, our lives are stressful, and ice cream is this incredible vehicle for happiness.”
Her strategy worked and it didn’t take long for Amy’s to grow with locations throughout Austin and eventually expanded to San Antonio and Houston. As Simmons pondered whether or not to follow her family’s example and go back to medical school, she discovered her true happiness came from the labor of love she built at Amy’s.
A child enjoying Amy’s Ice Cream in Austin, Texas. (Amy’s Ice Cream/Courtesy of Amy’s Ice Cream)
“I really realized you kind of take yourself forward to, how you’re going to feel on your deathbed about what you did. And to be honest, Amy’s was everything I could ever ask for,” Simmons said. “When we opened new stores it really had more to do with people, either friends who owned real estate and synergy with other local businesses, and then also where our customers were begging us to be.”
Simmons credited her business’ success to not just her customers but also her employees, many of which have worked there for more than 30 years, that have helped form the magic of Amy’s in every store. From her Alamo City employees starting the flipping ice cream tricks to her Austin employees creating the daily movie quote trivia that can lead to a free scoop.
Amy’s Ice Cream, an Austin-based staple in Texas, has had a presence in the Austin airport since Day One in 1999. (Courtesy of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport)
“The employees formed the culture from a very early time,” Simmons said. “My skill is to give people a lot of freedom and also, reward and recognition for ideas that are really good. But it’s always been the employees. They’re just so creative, and it’s about making their job fun and having fun with the customers.”
In addition to Amy’s employees, her customers also became family. Simmons said she’s still in touch with some that were in line the first day of Amy’s like Hoffman Hibbit who met his wife there and had the chain cater their wedding.
“We were their first date. We catered their wedding, and then we, unfortunately, the dad passed away from cancer, and we catered the funeral,” Simmons said. “So, you know, it’s being a part of people’s lives, through good and bad and really being, a family, not just a business relationship.”
Beyond the ice cream, Simmons also said Amy’s has helped her be able to give back to the Austin community by supporting local businesses, nonprofits and artists. Every Amy’s store is different and has pieces of art like Dale Whistler’s ice cream sculpture on top of its Guadalupe store and SoCo artist Will Bryant’s doodles found on every ice cream cup.
Amy’s Ice Cream has become an Austin staple for more than 40 years. (Amy’s Ice Cream/Courtesy of Amy’s Ice Cream)
Simmons sponsored a room, designed to resemble an Amy’s store, inside the Dell Children’s Medical Center to help lift kids spirits who are going through cancer treatments. The chain also has events like “random acts of ice cream” where employees dress in cow suits stand on a street corner and give away ice cream for charity.
As the brand celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, Simmons concluded by saying she hopes to continue to build the brand in its current Texas markets and is excited to find Amy’s next future leader.
“The future for me personally, is looking for the next soul of Amy’s, which is somebody who doesn’t necessarily think like I do, but has the same kind of core values and to elevate Amy’s for the next generation,” she said.
Amy’s New Holiday Collection
For those who want to gift something sweet for the holiday season, Amy’s is offering a locally-made lineup of Mexican Vanilla Marshmallows, Belgian Hot Cocoa mix, Hot Fudge, Pecan Praline and Butterscotch Jars, Holiday Shortbread Cookies, Wafflecone and Mexican Vanilla Candles.
Amy’s 2025 Holiday Collection is now available in all Amy’s stores across Texas and online.
This article originally published at Beloved Texas ice cream chain celebrates 40 years of scooping up smiles.