Scoops under new ownership with the same vision

Nestled in the lobby of the Edgewater Hotel in the heart of downtown Winter Garden is a place to step back in time and out of the heat.

For 17 years, Michael Stoppels owned Scoops Old Fashioned Ice Cream. The business is more than a quick stop for ice cream but an integral part of the community’s close-knit nature and weekly family outings. 

“It impacts so many generations,” said Jake Brigham, one of the new owners of Scoops. “A grandparent can bring their young grandchild, a mom and daughter, a father and a son. Some of our close friends that we go to church with, their first date was here 17 years ago.”

The history, legacy and family community were the ingredients that went into Jake and Taylor Brigham and Alex and Jessie Douglas’ decision to purchase Scoops when Stoppels chose to retire. 

The couples officially took ownership on Monday, June 9. 

“We came in here … all four of us and we tried to convey our passion for wanting to keep on (Stoppels') legacy of what this means to the town and not just totally rip it down, rebrand it and call it something else,” Jake Brigham said. “We wanted it to stay Scoops.”

The Brighams both grew up in the surrounding area and settled down in Winter Garden 10 years ago. While Jake Brigham travelled overseas, Taylor Brigham made it a tradition to take their oldest daughter of four, Stella, every Friday for a date night to Scoops to play checkers. 

“It means everything; we feel like we’ve purchased the ‘OG’ of Winter Garden for our family because it has been such a staple in our life,” Taylor Brigham said. 

Alex Douglas is local to Winter Garden; he attended Foundation Academy before moving away just prior to middle school. He loved the “smallness” of the town when growing up and said it was the only place for which he would ever leave Tallahassee. 

The Douglases moved to Winter Garden two years ago with their three kids. Jessie Douglas travelled all over the world because her dad served in the Air Force. When they made the move, she wasn’t familiar with the area but quickly discovered its appeal. 

“We came downtown almost every afternoon, me and my girls while Alex was at work,” Jessie Douglas said. “We just fell in love with the sweet, little downtown, the splash pad, the parks and walking around, and Scoops was a big part of that first summer.”

When the Douglases joined Mosaic Church they began to feel more integrated into the community and found a new friendship with the Brighams. 

Taylor Brigham said they immediately hit it off with the Douglases because of their like-minded thinking and parenting style. Jessie Douglas was expecting their fourth child and Taylor Brigham just had their fourth, another way that the couples were able to relate.

“They are some of our dearest friends, and we’re just very thankful to get to (own Scoops) with somebody else who loves Winter Garden and appreciates it just as much as us,” Taylor Brigham said. 

In their first week of ownership, the couples have been met with an outpour of excitement and support from friends and family. Their own kids have been ecstatic about the purchase, and once they’re inside of Scoops, it’s difficult to get them to leave.

Alex Douglas said he understands when a place sells, there’s always concern it won’t stay authentic or a franchise would swoop in to take over.

“So the fact that it’s local families that own it and are continuing it for other locals and families in the community,” Alex Douglas said. “I think it’s just been kind of a really cool celebration by the whole town last week of, ‘All right, this is the next era of scoops, and it’s staying and is here in Winter Garden.’”

While the transition to ownership has been fun along the way, there’ve been a few challenges with learning all the technicalities that go into that title. 

Out of the four, Alex Douglas is the only one with experience owning a business. He managed a hot dog place when they lived in Tallahassee. It taught him how to run a small, local business  and make it his own without changing its true essence. He also gained knowledge on the food industry in general. 

The new owners’ biggest help with the learning process has come from Stoppels himself. 

“He’s offered to be with us every minute the store has been open,” Jessie Douglas said. “He gave us the whole month of his help. ... He’s just overly ready and gracious to share and teach us.” 

As they work with Stoppels to adjust to running an ice cream parlor, the owners have begun to add their own touches. 

During COVID-19, a piece of plexiglass was put up by the ordering window, and Jake Brigham said they took it out to better see and connect with guests. They want to give people a “sneak peak” on the inside. 

Right now, the interior of the shop remains closed, and they are unsure of when exactly it’ll open. 

“Our dream is to open it back up to the public, but there’s a lot of things that need to take place in order for us to do that…(we have to get) a lot of things up to code,” Taylor Brigham said. 

Taylor Brigham’s background is in interior design so she plans to use her experience to draw a plan to make renovations that will enhance the guests’ experience. 

For now, Scoops will remain open as a walk-up ice cream stop for members of the community.