ALTON - That Good’s ice cream isn’t just good — it’s that good.
That’s the promise of business partners Alvin Elliott and Wendy Adams, who opened That Good last month at 1300 Central Avenue in Alton. The walk-up shop sells hand-scooped ice cream and shaved ice, plus a special European treat called “bubble wraps” on Sundays. Their customers agree: The shop really is that good.
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“We just wanted to give back to the community, wanted to provide a service to the community,” Adams said at the “What’s Up Downtown” information exchange on Aug. 29.
Elliott echoed this. That Good was his dream for a long time, and it’s been exciting to watch other people come to love it as much as he does. After all, he opened That Good with community members in mind. Elliott lives on Central Avenue and has a deep connection to Alton, and he always intended for his shop to give back.
“I just wanted to have something for the kids to be able to come to, get some ice cream, shaved ice. They don’t have to go that far. They can just come right down the street,” he said. “I want to have a melting pot. Just bring all kinds of different diversity around and have some place where people can come and have a good time and enjoy some ice cream.”
This was his goal, but Elliott was surprised to find that so many people resonated with it. Not long after they opened, customers began donating money to the shop, completely unprompted. Donors explained that they wanted the money to buy ice cream for kids who might not have the funds.
To Elliott, this is a demonstration of how community members look out for one another in Alton. He wanted “to just bring people together,” and his customers have shown the power of that connection.
“It’s needed all over. Everybody’s not as fortunate as the next person,” Elliott said. “And I’ve never seen anyone mad eating ice cream. I always see a smile on everybody’s face.”
He eventually has plans to expand the shop into a “big concession stand,” with hot dogs, nachos, candy, popcorn, coffee, chili and other snacks. Their menu has already grown to include “bubble wraps,” a treat that Adams encountered during a trip to London a few years ago.
The bubble wrap is a soft, airy waffle folded like a cone with ice cream and toppings inside. That Good originally planned to offer them once a month, but people loved bubble wraps so much that the shop now sells them every Sunday. Adams joked that she has some “new little friends,” the young kids who stop by every week to get their bubble wraps.
“I’ve been getting nothing but good vibes, good feedback from everybody. So that’s a plus,” Elliott added. “It just makes me feel good. I’ve been doing something right.”
You can learn more about That Good at their official Facebook page. The store is open from 4–9 p.m. on Fridays, 3–9 p.m. on Saturdays and 3–8 p.m. on Sundays, with plans to increase their hours soon.
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