Somerset County Family Is Spreading Positive, Inclusive Message One Scoop At A Time

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Deeply connected to the neurodivergent and disabled community, the Kolb family is on a mission to spread kindness and inclusivity through their newly opened ice cream shop.

Rich, Jen, and Aly Kolb opened Ice Cream For All at the end of August at 137 Old York Road in the Bradley Gardens section of the Township near Duke Island Park.

"It was important to us to create a judgment-free space where everyone — our customers, their families, and their allies — can feel accepted and celebrated," according to the family's website.

The idea for the ice cream shop came about after Rich had a life-changing accident. He had worked for decades in construction until September 2023, when he fell from a ladder, crushing his spine.

He became permanently disabled and fell into a bad head place.

"I still had no drive to get out of bed. There's no reason to. What am I going to do? I can't do anything," said Rich.

His daughter Aly, being neurodivergent, saw him being weighed down by this sadness. She also started to pick up on sadness in the world.

Aly reminded Rich of his love of making ice cream at home and suggested they open an ice cream shop.

"We made ice cream at home all the time," said Jen. "He was always experimenting with flavors. We had three ice cream makers in our house, the size of a fridge. He was always looking at recipes. It was his favorite thing to do for a long time, long before the accident."

The family decided to take the leap of faith and open the business to welcome everyone.

"A lot of things are going on right now in the world, and a lot of people are unhappy, and some people just don't think we're gonna have a good future. So I thought that we just needed a spot that people can come for hope of a better future," said Aly. "That's what we really need right now, a better future. Some people don't think it's gonna happen, but I hope that together, we can all make it happen sometime, someday."

In particular the family wanted to serve as an ally to the neurodivergent community.

"Aly has a lot of friends who are neurodivergent, and we know how people like that are not accepted like other people are sometimes," said Rich. "We want to make sure that not only are they accepted, but they are accepted in a friendly way and in a good way."

The shop serves homemade hard ice cream with new flavors being added frequently. They also offer dairy-free and no sugar ice cream options as well.

Along with grabbing a cone or cup of ice cream, the shop serves as a gathering place with an entire wall showcasing artwork by customers who come in and color.

To order ice cream or for hours, visit icecreamforall.com or facebook.com/icecreamforallnj. Additionally, they are putting together a 12 Days of Christmas advent sampler box of unique flavors with $5 for each box going to a local charity. To order a box visit icecreamforall.com/menu.

For more information on Ice Cream For All,

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