Rising high school student didn’t let COVID stop him from running his business

FREDERICK, Maryland – It’s not unusual to see a high school student working behind the counter at an ice cream parlor.

But what if we told you that the teenager also owned the store?

“My favorite thing is when parents bring their children and tell them my whole story and the children are really excited.”

Meet Sasha Hoffman, just turned 18 and about to graduate from high school.

But he was an aspiring entrepreneur long before opening Hoffman Brothers Ice Cream here in Frederick.

His original idea, when he was just 13, was to ride a large bicycle around the city and sell packaged ice cream.

“After I got all the permitting stuff done, COVID came and my parents said ‘no,'” Hoffman said.

To avoid becoming discouraged so quickly, he spent much of the pandemic researching a brick-and-mortar ice cream shop.

“We had a lot of free time and I just wanted to figure out what I could do for the community that was positive and productive at the time because we played a lot of video games,” Hoffman said.

With the help of his teacher, he applied for a federal grant through the Project Restore program, which gave money to new or expanding small businesses that renovated previously vacant buildings.

“Every day when I walk home from school, we pass this abandoned garage right across from the post office. I saw an opportunity and thought, everyone has to go to the post office at some point,” Hoffman said.

In October 2022, Hoffman Brothers opened its doors.

The name is a reference to Hoffman’s two older brothers who helped him.

“They drive me everywhere and pick up deliveries. They’re great. Sometimes they even come here and help scoop out ice cream,” Hoffman said.

Often, however, he is alone in the store. On hot summer nights, the line can get quite long.

But it is not only Hoffman’s family members who wish him success.

“And sometimes when I’m here alone, the community comes in and sees that I’m super busy and the line is out the door, and they offer to help me. It’s great,” Hoffman said.

“I realized that people actually enjoyed standing in line because they were happy to see us succeed. When the whole community sees a business succeed, it feels like they’re winning. I love that. It feels like one big family.”