![]() ![]() In 2017, we bought our own building in North Muskegon and added a storefront where we feature over 80 different bars that we make. In March of 2014, we moved into our own place right here in Whitehall. We made all of our bars in 2013 at the Starting Block which worked well for the small volume we were doing, but to do this on a bigger scale, we needed our own kitchen. By the end of 2013, we had 6 locations selling our bars and many more interested for the next summer. This gave us the idea to sell them in places other than just our truck. We dressed up a freezer to look like an old ice box, set up inside the Hokey Pokey, and it actually did quite well. When we were talking with one of the owners of the Hokey Pokey in Whitehall, she had the idea of selling the bars in their store too. The original idea was to produce the Ice Box Bars to sell on the ice cream truck in the streets and at special events. The Starting Block is an incubator kitchen, and the staff there were extremely helpful in getting my business licensed and legal. We eventually came upon the Starting Block in Hart, MI. When spring time came, we had our menu figured out. Our kids Nick, Lainey, and Lili were the official taste testers, along with some friends and family. I worked on dozens of different flavor combinations and had to figure out a way to hand-make ice cream bars. We liked it because it is old fashioned and sounds very comforting. That winter I thought that I could come up with better stuff than what we were selling on the truck, and the Ice Box Brand was born. We worked on the streets of Whitehall for the rest of the summer selling treats to all the neighborhood kids (and adults!). Well, next thing ya know, ol’ Chris is the ice cream man! We came home the very next day with our new family member and our business was born. We had no intention of actually buying it, we just wanted to take it for a test drive. The family loaded up in the van and we headed down to Grand Rapids to just “look” at it. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular when a big, shiny, aluminum ice cream truck popped up for sale. Proceeds from Kaja’s Flavor provide funds for the nonprofit Overcoming Barriers, which helps people with disabilities and mental illnesses live as independently as possible.It all started in July of 2012 while browsing Craigslist. ![]() “And the MSU Extension helped me navigate the Department of Agriculture.” They’re kind of a one-stop shop to get you where you need to be,” Hunter says. “The chamber was instrumental in helping me navigate business plans and licensing. With the help of the Chamber of Commerce, SCORE mentoring service and the Food Processing and Innovation Center at the Michigan State University (MSU) Extension, she gained the skills necessary to run a business. Eventually, they became so popular among family and friends that she decided to package them under the name Kaja’s Flavor. ![]() When Hunter returned to her hometown – Muskegon Heights, MI – she wanted to bring that Cajun taste with her, so she started creating her own spices. “Instead of having cake at birthday parties, people there would have a crab boil,” she says. Kaja Thornton Hunter discovered her love for Cajun cooking while living in Savannah, Georgia. “And part of a community that graciously supports us.”įinding Kaja’s Flavor in Muskegon Heights, MI “We love being part of the downtown,” Courtney says. They finally decided on a building owned by the Lakeshore Museum Center. We started to get that feel of community.” He introduced us to the restaurants and breweries. “He told us stories about the neighborhood and the history of the area. “We had somebody from the chamber spend a half-day walking us all over downtown looking at spaces,” Renee says. The result is Vintage Redefined, a home decor and lifestyle shop that opened in 2017 in downtown Muskegon. “One day we looked at each other and said, ‘Maybe we should do that.’ So we did,” Courtney says. Once they began taking items to craft shows, customers said they should open a shop. What started as a hobby turned into a business for Renee Doan and her daughter, Courtney Doan Leibrandt.įor years, they refinished vintage clothes and furniture for fun.
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