Founded in 2021 as a mobile ice cream cart to bring more joy and delicious sweet treats to Charlotte, Urban Sweets is rollin' into a permanent location in the South End neighborhood.
Adaptable, the ice cream cart quickly became a hot chocolate cart and then a holiday gift cart all in it's first year. Winter months were spent booking private catering events and signing up for spring pop up shops. Now, every week revenue is generated from all of these events.
Owner, Kristen Stewart, has almost 15 years of retail experience in South End and chose the neighborhood for this concept because of the vibrancy and diversity of the area. With over 11,000 residents, South End is expected to grow by by over 25% in the next five years. Adjacent to the Wilmore, Dilworth, and Uptown neighborhoods, Urban Sweets is also just a short walk from the Lynx light rail, making it accessible to over 100,000 residents and riders every day.
Why ice cream? Kristen has loved it since childhood and so do most Americans who consume over 50 pounds of the deliciousness each year. The hand scooped, super-premium ice cream is made of all natural ingredients with each starting with cream, sugar and flavoring. Customer comments range from "this is delicious" to "this is the best ice cream I've ever had". A customer recently left to eat his cup of ice cream, came back and told Kristen that it was the best ice cream he'd ever had and that success was in her future.
But wait, there's more! Because beautifully presented sweets enhance joy as well, Urban Sweets will also offer hand painted chocolates, macarons and more. Kristen believes the Instagram-worthy presentation will bring in customers, but the taste will make them repeat customers.
Kristen is excited to use Urban Sweets to support over 15 other small businesses to bring unique items to Charlotte.
The retail location will be the only ice cream shop in South End with indoor and patio seating.
This is a community based business already having participated in fundraisers and community events. Urban Sweets will partner with a variety of local charities and offers jobs to students and underserved populations. All student employees will be eligible for scholarship opportunities too.
Start up costs are greater than $60,000. We want to raise $25,000 through this campaign to fund equipment and furnishings. By helping us reach this goal, we can create an environment for our customers to enjoy delicious sweet treats with their family and friends.
Please be sure and email us your contact information so we can mail your gifts!
We have stretch goals too!
If we double our goal and raise $50,000 those funds will be used for product development and marketing.
Be sweet, and help us make this dream a reality so we can all live sweetly!