Brookfield now has six ice cream parlors in the same corridor

BROOKFIELD – An area of ​​downtown Brookfield is quickly becoming an ice cream mecca, with three new shops opening this summer.

All stores selling the frozen dessert are within a four-mile radius, and some are within walking distance.

For some ice cream lovers, being able to choose from a wide selection of ice cream, gelato and frozen yogurt is a pleasure. However, others are doubtful that all the shops will be able to survive given the competition.

“Since I opened, people come here and … start talking bad about me and my store … they basically say I’m not going to be successful,” said Maxim (Max) Kapytka, the 15-year-old owner of the new Munchin Hedgehog. Since opening his store with his sister in July, he has been accused three times of “copycatting” another ice cream shop.

But Max says he is not bothered by the accusations or the competition.

“ShopRite sells ham. Can’t Big Y sell ham? Tomato, tomato,” Max said, adding that when selling the same product, there is bound to be some overlap. “I think it’s good for people to have choices.”

Munchin Hedgehog is located at 616 Federal Road, just over a mile from J&E Ice Cream & More, which opened last Saturday at 849 Federal Road. J& E Ice Cream & More is just steps from Sweet Scoops, which opened in June at 7 Station Road in the former Rich Farm location.

Other shops in the area that sell ice cream, gelato or yogurt include Newberry Gelato (317 Federal Road), Peachwave (807 Federal Road) and Dairy Queen Grill & Chill (138 Federal Road).

Greg Dembowski, economic development expert at Brookfield, said it was no surprise that all of the new businesses were locating along the Federal Road corridor.

“This is our corridor for commercial, retail and industrial space,” he said. “This is where we have all of our utilities. This is the easiest access to New Milford north of us and to Super 7 and I-84. So it’s no surprise that they and almost every other commercial development, whether it’s retail, shopping or whatever, is on this corridor.”

He also said that each of the new ice cream shop owners should be praised.

“Each of these companies is an entrepreneur who has an idea and an entrepreneurial spirit to promote, sell and market their products,” he said. “We wish each of them the best of luck.”

“It’s not like this is a big corporate thing. These are all individual entrepreneurs who have their own vision and energy. Their success is determined by the market, not anything else.”

Max thought that all ice cream parlors should be able to exist side by side in the city.

“As far as Newberry Gelato, Peachwave and I are concerned, we offer completely different things,” he said. “If someone wants yogurt, they go to Peachwave. If someone wants gelato, which is basically a version of Italian ice, they go to Newberry.”

Beck Selmani, owner of Sweet Scoops, said he never compares his business to others.

“I really don’t have time to worry about what other people are doing because when you start watching other people, you lose,” he said. “I keep my head down. Wherever I get my ideas from, they all come from research,” said Selmani, who has been in the ice cream business for more than 30 years. “I just look at myself and how I can get better. I don’t look at the competition.”

Joseph Esposito, owner of Danbury-based J&E Ice Cream & More, has operated an ice cream truck with his wife, Elisabet Esposito, for 20 years. The Brookfield shop is his first. He said he didn’t open the shop to compete with other ice cream shops. His shop is unique in that it only sells soft serve ice cream.

“I only have four scoop flavors because I don’t want to do too much. I’d rather continue with soft serve,” Joseph Esposito said of the 600-square-foot shop. It offers takeout only and has a picnic table for outdoor seating.

Top-selling flavors, he said, included blackberry and coffee ice cream, as well as fruit-flavored sundaes.

He said he originally wanted to take over the Sweet Scoops space, “but I was too late and it’s too big for me anyway.”

He said he hoped to be open by the first snowfall.

For decades, the couple has parked their truck at the baseball fields and playgrounds of Rogers and Kenosia Park in Danbury, serving the local community.

“I’ve seen everyone grow up. The kids are grown up now, most of them drive cars,” he said. “Many of them stop my wife and hug her. Some of them actually have tears in their eyes.”

Esposito, a painter by trade, said he is happy to be in Brookfield because his daughter and grandchildren live there.

He said everyone he had ever met loved ice cream and there could never be too much of it for everyone.

“Ice cream is fun. Nobody is ever in a bad mood when they eat ice cream,” he said. “Ice cream is fun. It keeps you young.”