A Kansas City ice cream shop is planting its flag in the heart of Kansas City's Restaurant Row. Alice Scooper's Ice Cream Co. is opening its third location at 906 W. 39th St. in early September, moving into a storefront once occupied by a Liberty Tax Service office.
The Midtown expansion follows growth for husband-and-wife owners Mel Engel and Todd Eaton, according to Startland News. The outlet profiles Engel and Eaton as the owners of Alice Scooper's. The pair now also operates a Briarcliff storefront, and as the Kansas City Star reported, the company has a menu of ice cream options.
A Former Tax Office Becomes a Sundae Destination
The 906 W. 39th St. spot sits close to Q39's Midtown location and Missie B's, per the Star's reporting, placing the new shop squarely inside the stretch of West 39th Street that locals call Restaurant Row. The corridor runs from State Line Road to Southwest Trafficway and sits next to the University of Kansas Medical Center campus, drawing heavy foot traffic from students, staff and neighborhood diners, according to MYKC Offers.
Alice Scooper's will be joining the businesses already operating on that block. The new shop's opening was first flagged in a city permit filing, the Star reported, ahead of the company's own announcement that it planned to open in early September.
Rock-Themed Scoops and a House of Boba
True to its music-inspired branding, Alice Scooper's menu leans on flavors like Name Game, made with banana pudding ice cream, marshmallow swirl and vanilla wafer cookie pieces, and Start Me Up, a coffee ice cream with a creamy caramel swirl, per the Star. The shop uses real milk, cream and sugar in its base recipes. Beyond the classic scoops, the expanded menu features signature Artisan Sundaes such as the Nutellica and the Conway Twinkie, along with layered Sledgehammer parfait sundaes and five-flavor ice cream sampler flights, according to MenuBank, which notes the specialty sundaes incorporate bakery staples like brownies, cheesecake and Twinkies.
The shop's House of Boba program offers bubble tea, the Star notes, built around more than 40 proprietary fruit, floral and spiced syrups made in-house without artificial coloring, per Startland News. That beverage lineup also extends to iced coffees, frozen milk teas, energy drinks and smoothies, giving the shop a broader draw than a typical scoop shop.
Expansion Beyond the City
The 39th Street opening is only part of a larger growth push for the brand. Real estate brokerage The Shawver Group, led by commercial broker Chance Barrow, handled the lease negotiations for the expansion, Startland News reports. Alice Scooper's is also planning a fourth regional store at 127 Crown Hill Road in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, according to the company's own site.
The brand has also been building its presence in Kansas City's civic and cultural circuit. Alice Scooper's was selected as an official food and beverage vendor for the Kansas City Symphony's annual Forte young professionals event, scheduled for September 24 at the Shirley Bush Helzberg Symphony House, according to the Kansas City Symphony.
A Crowded Local Ice Cream Scene
The Midtown debut adds another local ice cream shop to the Kansas City metro. Betty Rae's Ice Cream is another local brand. Alice Scooper's is leaning into its own dual concept of rock-themed ice cream and house-made boba drinks.
