“I am so blessed to be here,” said Sherri Shearer-Prouty, while looking around her new ice cream store in downtown Rutland, which she heads with her daughter Paige. This spring, the couple moved their business, Prouty’s Parlour, to a building recently bought on ROW merchants – just a pâté of houses from its original place, which opened its doors in March 2024.
Shearer-Prouty is no stranger to business property.
“Seventeen years ago, I had an upstairs tea room in this building,” she said. “I would probably have opened another, but Loose Loona is fast approaching.” After weighing her options, she moved to an ice cream store, saying that her hours were a good choice for her lifestyle – open too early and not too late.
“I remember these special exit moments for family ice cream when my children grew up, and even when I was young,” she said. “Rutland was missing a place to sit and make these memories.”
The owner Sherri Shearer-Prouty. Photo of courtesy.
Shearer-Prouty and his daughter decided to create a nostalgic space where families could relax and spend time together. Not only is the new location more central, but its spacious arrangement and its full cuisine allowed the proutys to grow beyond ice sales. They now offer personalized ice cakes and organize special events.
At the bottom, the shop has a ice counter serving a dozen Wilcox ice flavors and a rotary selection of specials, in a colored backdrop of old -fashioned candy and bottled sodas. An open wooden staircase leads to the second floor, where a comfortable lounge area is coupled with an event space, with board games.
Cone attempting Wilcox ice cream. Photo of courtesy.
Before moving into the new space, the mother and the daughter hoped to buy additional freezers and a creemee machine. Shearer-Prouty wanted to take advantage of the financial assistance offered by the City of Rutland for new equipment purchases. However, qualifications required a business plan and financial projections, which were difficult to provide because the store had not yet been opened a full year.
Shearer-Prouty therefore turned to Nancy Shuttleworth, Vermont Small Business Development Center, to get advice.
“Nancy helped me create everything I needed to apply for help,” she said. “Whenever I speak with her, she is excellent support.”
This kind of help was particularly precious during more difficult times. One of the biggest challenges in the possession of a business, said Shearer-Prouty, is to learn to get out of natural and natural stockings.
“When things become difficult, I say to myself:” It’s going to go, I’m going to understand it. ” »»
Prouy‘s Parlour is at 62 ROW merchants in downtown Rutland. Summer hours are from Thursday to Saturday, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m.
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