Co-owner of Melt Ice Creams Kari Seher said it’s time for her small business to gain a larger presence in the Near Southside community.
Melt is set to relocate from its original location on Rosedale Street to Magnolia Avenue in the late spring.
“My husband and I have been residents of the Near Southside for seven years, and we’ve seen the area blossom over time with different shops and restaurants,” she said. “We felt ice cream was the missing piece.”
Nadia Nikah, a Near Southside resident, said Melt will bring a “better spirit” to Magnolia Avenue, as it continues to grow and appeal to surrounding communities.
“I don’t get ice cream often, but when I do, I’m willing to go out of my way for Melt,” Nikah said. “I think people in our community will be happy that Melt is moving to a more central location.”
Seher and her husband opened Melt in April of 2014.
Now the duo are seeking more production space, adequate parking and a stronger sense of camaraderie among businesses and residents of the Near Southside.
“We quickly grew out of capacity and production space in our location on Rosedale Street,” Seher said. “Parking has been a consistent issue too.”
The new 1,100-square-foot space located at 1201 Magnolia Avenue will offer more kitchen space, an outdoor patio to entertain and host events, as well as more parking.
“Our parking situation hasn’t been ideal at our current location, because we only have five parking spots,” Seher said. “Our stop sign has been knocked down multiple times.”
Seher said the relocation to Magnolia Avenue will allow her business to engage further with the community and participate more in Near Southside events.
“We are a part of the Near Southside Association, but our current placement makes us a destination location,” she said. “There aren’t many boutique restaurants or shops on Rosedale Street.”
Seher said the current business model won’t change despite relocating to Magnolia Avenue.
“Our goal is to keep bringing our community the quality they expect from Melt, but on a bigger and grander scale,” she said.
Arika Oviedo, a Melt employee, said the owners and staff ensure to keep Melt approachable to different people in the community, from families to couples.
“Melt will continue to serve its community by remaining family-friendly,” she said. “Magnolia Avenue is popular for its restaurants and bars, so I believe Melt will bring great diversity to the area.”
Seher said Melt is a young business to be moving so soon, but she hopes the community will like the new “upgrade.”
“Owning a small business, there are always challenges. We’ve had to make a lot of big and quick decisions through the relocating process,” she said. “But we’re willing to make the move for the sake of serving our community better.”
