BizBeat: Ice cream stand open near Eugene

A new ice cream stand near Eugene opened this summer selling a Jefferson City favorite treat.

Taris Tellman opened Ice Cream 4 Ice Cream, at 11816 Farm View Road, on June 2 serving Central Dairy ice cream.

Ice Cream 4 Ice Cream is open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Tellman said the ice cream shop will be open year-round.

She hopes to soon begin serving hot dogs and chili dogs. Tellman and her husband also plan to add a barbecue shack this fall, which could be open by November.

Tellman built the stand in an old gas station that had been vacant for 17 years before she convinced the property owner to let her rent it. The restaurant has a drive-thru, walk-up window and outdoor seating, but no indoor seating.

Before taking on this venture, Tellman managed camping stores at the Lake of the Ozarks, which also sold Central Dairy ice cream.

She got the idea to sell the local favorite four years ago and began trying to figure out how to make it happen. Tellman hit pause about a year ago when doctors diagnosed her with colon cancer. She had a softball-sized tumor removed from her colon, and eventually, Tellman beat the disease.

After she beat cancer, she realized she wanted to leave something to her children. So she put her savings for retirement into Ice Cream 4 Ice Cream. She began formulating a business plan and eventually found a bank to give her a business loan.

The space sat vacant and needed a lot of cosmetic work, Tellman said. Inside, she and her husband sealed the building, then put coolers in.

"We got really lucky," Tellman said. "We didn't really have to do anything major."

She and her husband almost settled for a different location before they ended up at the Farm View Road spot. Because so few restaurants are out that direction, Tellman said her customers seem to enjoy having the shop open.

"I know that it's wanted," Tellman said.

Know of any business happenings in or around Jefferson City? Let us know at [email protected].