A Lawrence business owner plans to open a franchise of a Kansas City-based ice cream shop this fall in west Lawrence.
Betty Rae’s Ice Cream is expanding, and Steve Wilson took an opportunity to join, given his existing relationship with the owners.
Wilson in 2022 began selling packaged pints of Betty Rae’s ice cream at his store, City Wine Market, which has been part of the strip at 4821 W. Sixth St. for 15 years.
“We appreciated the premium nature of the ice cream and thought our customers probably would dig it, and they did,” Wilson said.
Plus, a convenient vacancy in the same building, right next door to his store, was fitting for a Lawrence location.
“I probably wouldn’t have it located downtown regardless, just because of Sylas & Maddy’s,” Wilson said. “Really there’s no reason to crowd out down there, and we are underserved on this side of town. So really it kind of picked itself.”
According to the Betty Rae’s website, the business has been around for nearly 10 years with several locations in the KC metropolitan area and a few in Omaha, Nebraska.
Ice cream flavors range from chocolate, strawberry and other classics to more unique mixes, such as “Lavender Honey,” “Goat Cheese, Apricots, & Candied Walnuts” and “Cereal Milk.” Shakes, sundaes, ice cream sandwiches and homemade waffle cones are offered, too, according to the website.
Construction delays have made the project take longer than Wilson had hoped, he said, but the current goal for opening is November. A production kitchen where fresh ice cream will be made in-house and a large garage door to open the front to outdoor seating are among his renovation plans.
Wilson said he wants to capture the look and atmosphere of the original Betty Rae’s, which opened in Waldo, Missouri in 2016.
“It should be a very cool place,” he said.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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