Scoops of selflessness from customers keep Cape Coral ice cream shop afloat

[July 29, 2020: NBC 2 Fort Myers]

Sylwia and Brad Mills took a leap of faith to launch their Cape Coral ice cream shop in 2019. Little did they know how quickly that faith would be tested.

Sylwia, a former nurse, and Brad, an IT engineer, moved to Florida from the midwest to start a new life together. Neither had any experience in the ice cream industry. After a successful first year in business, sales came to a halt at Sylwia’s Ice Cream on Del Prado Boulevard North during the coronavirus pandemic.

“It was just pretty devastating,” Brad said. On the verge of bankruptcy, the couple came up with an idea to start focusing on the needs of others.

The shop began offering customers the chance to purchase cups of ice cream for first responders. To the Mills’ surprise, more than 1,000 scoops were sold – enough to keep their shop afloat.

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“When you stop focusing on yourself and you are out there helping the community, that completely changes you,” Sylwia said.

As the shop has reopened its doors, business is back up. Hundreds of hearts now fill the store’s front window to symbolize the customers who stepped up and bought ice cream when it mattered most.

“It represents so much love,” Sylwia said.