The newest Bridge Park tenant is pretty sweet. Kilwins, a franchise started by two local entrepreneurs, Stephanie Malas and her husband Ernie Malas, will make its Central Ohio debut this Friday, December 8. The chocolate and ice cream shop has more than 100 other locations nationwide. This one in Dublin will be Kilwins’ second in Ohio.
“We first discovered Kilwins probably 15 years ago,” said Stephanie Malas, Kilwins co-owner. “My family vacations a lot in Fort Lauderdale. My husband and I would take the kids there. I just remember we were really enticed by the sweet smell of waffle cone.”
The shop offers 32 flavors of ice cream, a variety of chocolates and chocolate-dipped treats, gift boxes and baskets, and made-in-store items like caramels and fudge. With whimsical decor (and daily free samples), Kilwins lures in children and families to discover their other sweets, like chocolate-covered Rice Crispy Treats, Oreos and Twinkies.
The Kilwins kitchen is in the front of the store, visible through the window, so all the treat-making happens in plain view.
“Customers can literally watch us make them delicious and beautiful products right in front of their eyes. We don’t make anything behind the scenes,” Malas said, “and all of our recipes are Kilwins original recipes, many of which are 70 years old. And, everything is done as they did it 70 years ago so it’s kind of theatrical.”
She and her husband knocked the idea around for years before deciding to open in Bridge Park. Malas sees the growing, walkable community as an ideal location for her Kilwins franchise and sought out Crawford Hoying for the opportunity.
Kilwins is located at 4549 Bridge Park Ave.
For more information, visit kilwins.com.