The Scoop to replace Brain Freeze at Kendall Yards

When one ice cream door closes, another opens.

The Scoop owner Jennifer Davis confirmed Friday the popular Spokane ice cream parlor plans to open its second location, where Brain Freeze Creamery currently resides in Kendall Yards, on March 1.

“I’ve been looking for years,” Davis said. “I wasn’t going to expand just to expand.”

In late August, Brain Freeze Creamery’s ice cream shops on the South Hill and in Kendall Yards closed over unpaid taxes. The South Hill location never reopened, but the Kendall Yards location reopened its doors Sept. 4. The shop still sold Brain Freeze ice cream, but its operation was taken over by Greenstone, the developer of Kendall Yards.

The store is closing Jan. 15 for renovations – and Greenstone will prepare the location for The Scoop.

Davis said the location would provide new offerings. At the entrance, workers will be preparing freshly made gelato.

“So like our South Hill location where you walk in, we’re making liquid nitrogen ice cream right there, this will be a little bit prettier, more space,” Davis said. “Just another high-end offering to go along with our brand that is super fresh, gourmet ice cream.”

Brain Freeze owner Tom Purdum said Brain Freeze is closing its creamery as well.

“Without our retail stores, it’s hard to pay your lease when you don’t have that revenue coming in, so we just decided it was not fiscally feasible anymore to stay in business,” Purdum said. “Plus, with the new minimum wage, it makes it difficult, so we decided to be done.”

Purdum said his most popular flavors were dirt (chocolate pudding with Oreo crumbles), cakey dough, salted caramel and vegan offerings.

Brain Freeze Creamery and The Scoop have a past relationship. The Scoop served Brain Freeze ice cream until Brain Freeze opened a retail store, Davis said.

Brain Freeze announced in January 2014 it was opening in Kendall Yards. Before that, it was strictly wholesale, and The Scoop was its biggest customer, Davis said.

“So then my vendor became my biggest competition. I knew – I was waiting for the right time – I knew I needed to make my own ice cream,” Davis said. “So that’s when we started making ice cream.”