Ice cream parlor opens in iconic dome-shaped building in Rexburg
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REXBURG
Rexburg shop serves homemade ice cream, pastries, chocolates and candies
REXBURG – “Come with me, and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination.”
That line from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” is the vibe Jared Gold was going for when he opened an ice cream parlor at 110 West 4th South in Rexburg.
Sugarbeast opened at the end of July in the dome-shaped building across from the Brigham Young University-Idaho Center. It offers 10 homemade ice cream flavors that frequently rotate, along with pastries, chocolates and candy.
“We make everything right here,” Gold tells EastIdahoNews.com. “As intensive and artisanal as (the ice cream) is to make, 10 flavors is a lot to keep going.”
He’s getting ready to launch his fall flavors when school is back in session. The restaurant also includes a stage for karaoke nights and other events.
Gold says the building’s appearance is just as much of a draw as the treats.
“Buckminster Fuller is the guy who invented the geodesic dome design in the mid-20th century,” Gold says. “(The original builders) must have put a ton of money into this because it was super cutting-edge at the time. Not many of them survived, but this is what brought us here. It’s so cool.”
The inside is decked out in yellow paint and bright lighting. Take a look in the video above.
“This is all magical,” Gold says of the decor. “My goal was to build something that if you were to pick it up and drop it in L.A. or Salt Lake City, it would hold its own.”
Originally from Idaho Falls, Gold worked in the fashion industry in Los Angeles for many years. He moved back to Idaho Falls several years ago to take care of his mom.
He recently managed a chocolate shop in Salt Lake, where he curated his own recipes.
After coming across this building, he and his business partners felt it was a good location for an ice cream parlor.
“You got to come here and make your stuff,” Gold recalls one of the owners saying about the Rexburg building.
Gold has fond memories of going to a now-defunct dance club in Rexburg years ago. That connection made the idea of opening a shop there appealing to him.
“This is such a prime location,” says Gold.
The dome-shaped building has housed numerous businesses over the years, including sandwich shop Hogi Yogi.
The first occupant of the building in the 1990s was Beehive Federal Credit Union.
Gold hopes to eventually have 10 Sugarbeast locations throughout the U.S. with a similar design and layout.
“This is the trial model to see how it works,” Gold says.
Sugarbeast is open from 3 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Beginning in September, it will be open from noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday with an 11 p.m. closing time Friday and Saturday.
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