Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream is planning to open a location this fall in Franklin. The spot will open at 990 Meridian Boulevard in the 60-acre Meridian Cool Springs mixed-use development.
Franchise owner Matt Higgins will be bringing the concept to life. He was drawn to the Meridian Cool Springs location because of its design as a gathering space. In addition to its 900,000 square feet of office space and 70,000 square feet of retail space, the development offers greenspaces and an event lawn.
“The site spoke to me,” Higgins said. “It’s a little different from the traditional retail strip center. It’s kind of a community gathering space that would be fun to hang out at. That’s what drew me to that particular location.”
The ice cream shop will open in a 1,400-square-foot space. It will be a walk-up location, where customers will walk up and order from the outside. The shop will have seven windows for taking orders, and customers will be able to eat their ice cream on a patio space or in the event lawn area.
Handel’s, which began when Alice Handel started making ice cream in 1945 in Youngstown, Ohio, is known for its wide expanse of flavors. Offerings like black cherry, buckeye, chocoholic chunk and graham central station will be available at the Franklin location.
“A big differentiator for Handel’s is 48 flavors at all times, so tons of options,” Higgins said. “We make our ice cream in house. So it’s homemade, fresh-made daily. We make all the ice cream on-site right in the building.”
Higgins plans to open the shop on Oct. 24. He views ice cream as not only a dessert, but also a connector and method of community involvement.
“I just think it’s a great community,” Higgins said. “We live here and love it. There are so many good people. I think that they’ll like the product we have. It’s an incredible product, and I think you just have to get people to try it and they’ll be hooked.”
