Howdy Homemade Going National
Howdy Homemade, a local ice cream shop that provides employment opportunities for people with special needs, is expanding nationally.
Owner Tom Landis said there are five franchises coming with two under construction — one in Texas and another in Asheville, North Carolina — with around 143 people interested in franchising.
“It just is a really exciting time,” Landis said.
He added that new ice cream truck has been so successful that the company’s looking to get another one.
“The ice cream truck is really getting booked up. We started using it a lot around Christmas time,” Landis said.
COVID-19 shutdowns put a damper on business at the start of the pandemic and the shop moved from its original location on Lovers Lane to a new location at 12300 Inwood Road last fall.
A GoFundMe page for the shop raised more than $100,000, and Howdy Homemade received an additional $50,000 grant from businessman Marcus Lemonis on the Today show in October.
