Ample Hills’ long-awaited Prospect Park West location will finally open its doors on May 28, following years of anticipation and delay.
The new shop on Bartel Pritchard Square near 15th Street, directly adjacent to the Nitehawk Cinema and Prospect Park, marks the chain’s first additional location since coming under new ownership last year.
“It’s almost like a flagship store for us,” said Ample Hills CEO Mike Zapata. “We’re really excited.”
Plans for the Brooklyn-founded Ice Cream brand to occupy the historic low-rise building that housed a soda fountain during the 1930’s have been in the works since 2018 but were put on hold due to the company’s bankruptcy sale and subsequent takeover by Oregon-based manufacturer Schmitt Industries during the pandemic.
The new location features booth seating, a party room, a small library of children’s books, and roof access for customers, and fills a hole along Prospect Park West in Windsor Terrace, which has been lacking a brick-and-mortar creamery for years.
“Couldn’t be a better location for an Ice Cream shop,” said Ample Hills Creative Director Lauren Kaelin. “It’s right next to the park, right next to the movie theater, right next to the subway.”
The parkside location also marks the start of a partnership between Ample Hills and the Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit stewards of Brooklyn’s Backyard, something of a full circle for the brand which started out as an ice cream cart at the Celebrate Brooklyn! music festival.
As part of the partnership, Prospect Park Alliance members will get a 10 percent discount at the store, and 10 percent of sales at the shop’s location-specific flavor will go to benefit the alliance.
The flavor — “Meet me on the Long Meadow” — is an ode to picnic staples, featuring sweet tea flavored ice cream with pieces of lemonade-iced cookies and black currant jam.
“It’s a little bit more subtle than your typical over-the-top Ample Hills flavor,” said Kaelin. “The black currant and the lemonade flavors are a little bit more subtle but I think it’s delicious, I’m interested to see how people react to it.”
The shop’s decor also pays tribute to Prospect Park. A large mural features Ample Hills mascots enjoying scoops out on the Long Meadow, and framed archival photos line the shop’s walls, including one of the dairy farm that once existed in the historic greenspace.
“We were really inspired by the history of picnicking in Prospect Park,” Kaelin said. “When the park first opened, contrary to Central Park, Prospect Park was always welcoming to the community and actually welcomed and encouraged people to picnic on its grounds.”
Ample Hills Creamery, (190 Prospect Park West at Bartel-Pritchard Square in Windsor Terrace) www.amplehills.com Monday-Thursday 1 pm — 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 12 — 11 pm, Sunday 12 pm — 10 pm. Opening day May 28 at 6 pm.
