MOOSE JAW — After the conclusion of their first year of business, Aubrey and Dwayne Shpaiuk, co-owners of Bob’s Ice Cream, are looking back on what they’re calling a successful year of selling delicious frozen ice cream treats in Moose Jaw.
Bob’s Ice Cream first opened on June 1 and the last day for sales at the window along Caribou Street West was Sept. 29. The shop’s remaining ice cream was then packaged and sold as pints until inventory was completely sold out on Oct. 4.
“Our first year was really good. Everything ran pretty seamlessly and was even better than we expected,” Aubrey said. She described support from the community as “fantastic” and even a bit “overwhelming” at times, but added that she was happy to receive lots of support, great feedback, and several repeat customers.
The most popular ice cream flavours in year one included chocolate peanut butter cup, chocolate caramel cup, and cherry cheesecake.
The inspiration behind Bob’s Ice Cream came from an idea to commemorate co-owner Dwayne Shpaiuk’s father, Bob Shpaiuk, who died four years earlier. His passion was ice cream and now the family wanted to carry on his legacy.
“It was a tradition — Bob would always be the first one to introduce ice cream to any of the grandkids,” Aubrey said at the start of the season. “So, it was just special.
“Then, when Dwayne and I were trying to come up with a name for the place, he was just kind of joking about ‘Bob’s Ice Cream,’ and we were like, ‘Oh, why not?’”
The Shpaiuks also founded Bob’s Ice Cream with the vision of giving back to the community. To achieve this, they provide valuable entry-level work for Moose Jaw’s younger residents.
“We have four teenage kids and it’s just really hard for them to find jobs right now,” Aubrey said. “So, we (opened the business) to create opportunities for them (and) others in Moose Jaw because not many people will hire a 14-year-old.”
In its first year, the business hired nine students and their roles included opening procedures, closing duties, cashing out, and each youth gained experience in customer service.
“The students that we hired were… from 14 to 19 (years of age) and we had a couple of the students acting in a senior role when the younger kids came in,” she said. “Everyone did so good — they caught on quickly, were friendly, courteous, and just amazing. We couldn’t have asked for better staff.”
When asked if the couple plans to reopen next year, Aubrey replied “100 per cent” with confidence and said they’re both “very excited” for the return to business as usual.
In 2025 the business is set to include the same delicious ice cream and high level of service and, with 30 flavours now available, Aubrey said she isn’t looking to expand on this anytime soon. There was one secret that she was willing to reveal, however.
“We are going to serve soft serve (ice cream) next year, so we’ll be able to make milkshakes and we might even get into (our own version) of Blizzard (frozen treats),” she said.
“We’re super thankful and grateful for all the support the community has shown,” Aubrey concluded. “Whether they stopped by to buy ice cream, shared a post, brought a friend… it was just really good. We’re very appreciative.”
Bob’s Ice Cream is now closed for the winter but is scheduled to reopen during May long weekend in 2025.
The ice cream business is located at 50 Caribou Street West. For more information and possible announcements visit ‘Bob’s Ice Cream’ on Facebook.
