It may be Winter but with the New Year here and the COVID bug starting to head for the hills, the perfect start to your 2021 just might be to grab some high-quality Ice Cream! Is it not one of our greatest rights as humans to enjoy one of the greatest things ever invented? I am talking about Icecream folks. Creamy, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth nectar of the God’s sort of stuff!
We stopped by Jim’s Ice Cream as a part of the Spring #HIllsboroStrong campaign and met current owner Adrian Wakefield. She proudly displays the sign and has been holding down her shop as well as anyone has; she is located right there at 658 SE 10th Avenue. We just covered the new El Chino Town eatery which is adjacent to Jim’s – if you are not sure just close your eyes, think A&W statues, cross the street to the East, and you are there.
A recent stop yielded amazing ice cream as always. But the Carmel and Praline ice cream cake and the Clown Cones were just too tempting. Add to that the Hot Chocolate Bombs and the trip was a win-win for the whole family!
“Those Hot Chocolate Bomb’s have really helped keep us going through this tough time,” said Adrian. “We have sold over 1,000 of them and they really are fun!”
If you want to know what this chocolate wonder is like, it is a large choco golf ball and you place it in a mug. Pour steaming hot milk over it and you will be in heaven as the real milk chocolate melts and unleashes an army of marshmallows which are incredible too! It is fun and has that WOW factor- great for kids and a loved one old or new!
This place has been a Hillsboro staple for at least 40 years. Originally it was Baskin and Robbins 31 Flavors. Jim Schultz opened it and all of us “kids” frequented the place back in the day. Schultz ran it for decades where his icecream and his community service earned him accolades. Eventually, the store changed from the franchise name to the current Jim’s Ice Cream. That was when Liberty High School grad and local girl Adrian entered the scene,
“We worked together for 10 years and when he was ready to move on we worked out an agreement and I bought the business. I have been running it 5 years now and we are doing Ok,” she said as she fights through the Pandemic. Born and raised here, Adrian attended Century High before she went on to finish in Liberty High’s 2nd graduating class. She has been grinding it out and simply works her business to make it work.
One thing she mentioned was that Schultz was a local guy who was well known for his business acumen and ideas. He had a few things going on in Hillsboro including the Copperstone Restaurant and Lounge on Main Street; a place of local legend. He had a great run and many friends and customers here in Hillsboro.
For great Ice Cream and other awesome treats check our Jim’s Ice Cream! The website has all the info you need and you can pre-order and special order. Ample parking and a great location await and so does Adrian- a local girl carrying the torch for a local boy and both are keeping a very important local Hillsboro business alive and well! Make sure to support our local businesses- and tonight might be the perfect time for a delicious cone or dish and make sure to grab one of those Bombs! They are open from Noon to 9 PM every day and also you can use Randy’s Delivery to get your ice cream in a door-to-door deal!
I never realized that this Jim was also the owner of the Copperstone on Main St. We were able to salvage the somewhat iconic “Copperstone Ball” from the roof of their building about 19 years ago. It was just after we had purchased our building at 234 E Main and they were doing some renovation work at the Copperstone during the first of several business changes at that location. I was a bit disappointed to find out that this ball was actually a 2 part plastic ball but in keeping with preserving Hillsboro’s history – we still have it in our back room 🙂 at our store.
I would love to know all the stories and deals that went down at the Copperstone!! You guys are great Jeff!! Keep up the great work!
Being a former resident of Sholles, also a lover of ice cream I will need to make a trip to the Old Burg for a treat. I do want to mention as a very Senior Citizen, I seem to remember I think it was Don’s 21 flavors most likely about the 1950’s
Robert…you might take the time to learn how to spell “Scholls”, since you are a resident.
Don’s was down the block on the corner, had 21 flavors. It was a curved building painted pink for many years with apartments on top and maybe an insurance or travel business in the same building. Baskin Robbins was the new guy in town with 31 flavors.
Well, I need to check that out. He for sure owned this place too.
Hope all is well and thank you for your comments and for supporting the Herald!
All the best;
Dirk
I worked as a busboy and dishwasher at the Copperstone when I was in high school in the mid 70s and remember Jim Schultz well. I completely lost contact with him after I graduated from high school and left Hillsboro but it was fun to run across this article and the article on the rehab of the old copperstone building. Working at the Copperstone is definitely a fun memory of time gone by.