Kickstarting Ice Cream: Sweet New Shop Planned in Temescal Alley

Curbside Creamery, a mobile ice cream shop on wheels, appears likely to open a brick-and-mortar store in Temescal Alley this fall after a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.

Owner Victoria Wentworth met her goal of $20,000 by the Aug. 7 deadline, largely through hundreds of small donations — only 24 of the 347 Kickstarter backers pledged $100 or more. Contributors will receive rewards ranging from a free ice cream cone to a large catered party, depending on the level of their pledges.

Wentworth, a 2011 UC Berkeley graduate, started her ice cream business two years ago using a vending tricycle, according to her Kickstarter page.

She specializes in vegan and dairy versions of what she says are "gourmet takes on classic flavors," along with some offbeat offerings like iced chai and cinnamon with ginger snap pieces.

Wentworth says it will cost about $70,000 for permits, construction and equipment for her new shop in Oakland's Temescal district.

But she limited her Kickstarter campaign to the cost of her "dream machine," a $20,000 Emery Thompson commercial ice cream maker.

If all goes well, Curbside Creamery will join a cluster of small, hip shops in a row of former horse stables off 49th Street near Telegraph Avenue. Other businesses there have also relied on crowdfunding for start-up costs, including Doughnut Dolly,

Read more about Wentworth on her Kickstarter page and the Curbside Creamery website.

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