TOMAH, Wis. — When heading south out of Tomah on Highway 131, there is one stop for ice cream enthusiasts before settling into their trip. On the corner of Hertz Avenue sits a yellow farmhouse with a gravel parking lot and a wraparound driveway. This is Twin Peaks Ice Cream LLC, a business owned and operated by twins Karen Olsen and Kathy Yenter.
The two opened the business in 2021 to provide a place for families to gather and enjoy delicious Wisconsin ice cream on the southern end of town.
“We started this because I couldn’t get a twist cone anywhere,” Kathy said. “We wanted a spot for families to gather and provide affordable ice cream.”
Outside the shop is a shaded seating area with four round tables and four chairs at each table. Surrounding the seating area are tractor tire flower beds with space for kids to play and families to visit.
“We sometimes have people that will hang out here for two hours,” Kathy said. “The kids can be out playing in the dirt, playing on the tires — the same thing our kids did here — while their families are able to sit and visit and enjoy some ice cream.”
The sisters said the spot is perfect for unwinding and catching up.
“There’s not as much electronics going on, which is nice,” Karen said. “You can look out and see kids running around and playing in the yard, playing with each other. Eventually we want to get some more things to help keep the kids occupied, (like) swings.”
Inside the farmhouse are two seating areas, as well as a consignment shop filled with a variety of handmade products. The vendors range in age from a 14-year-old candle maker to a 90-year-old creator of table runners. All items in the consignment shop are locally made.
“I’ve stayed on this end of Tomah basically my entire life,” Kathy said. “This end of town is where we wanted to start our business. So, we started at the interstate and worked south and got this far and got someone to sell us the property.”
Although new to the twins, the property has ties to the family from before they took ownership. Karen and Kathy learned from family members that their great-great-great-grandparents had purchased the farm and the property many years ago. Their great-grandfather built the house where they are currently running their business, and their grandfather was born there.
Now, a room that once held their family gatherings holds spaces for families from all over the area to gather and enjoy a scoop. The dining room holds six tables, the menu board and a classic jukebox. The front porch has been converted for more seating.
The kitchen remains the kitchen. There, Karen, Kathy and their eight employees dish out ice cream cones, shakes, malts, sundaes and even offer brats, hot dogs and chips on the menu for those passersby who are looking for a full lunch.
The sisters said they emphasize ensuring their products are from local businesses or entrepreneurs.
“It was important for us to use Wisconsin products, and to keep everything local as much as we can,” Kathy said. “I don’t think there’s enough of that in our area. … Why not have something from within Wisconsin, in Wisconsin?”
Twin Peaks Ice Cream serves Cedar Crest Ice Cream and Classic Mix soft serve from a dairy wholesale company located in Baraboo.
Cedar Crest has been family-owned since 1976, a fact that was important to Karen and Kathy when choosing which ice cream to put in their shop.
“It also helps that there are a lot of people around here that love Cedar Crest,” Karen said.
Its affordability is something that helps set Twin Peaks Ice Cream apart the sisters said. Pricing was a key component for Karen and Kathy in this venture.
“We want this place to be family-oriented,” Karen said. “We have grandkids and every time we’d take them out to ice cream it would be at least $30.”
The sisters’ shop is connected to the community. The Tomah VA Medical Center brings a bus of patients to their shop to give patients a chance to get out into the countryside and to foster community between the center and a local business.
Karen and Kathy had help getting started, visiting with another ice cream shop a few miles east on Highway 21.
“We worked really closely with Rocky Road Ice Cream in Necedah,” Kathy said. “Lori (Winter) was so good about helping us get started. She has almost the same exact setup there on 21 and G. She gave us some information on the style of equipment she uses, how many people she employs. All of that was extremely helpful.”
The sisters rely on word of mouth and Facebook for advertising. They have worked with the Wilton Library for a Halloween event, providing frozen treats as well as hosting a “Back to the 50s Car Show” in August.
Their goal of strengthening their community one scoop at a time has also led to more recognition around town for the Tomah natives.
“(When we) go out to dinner with our spouses, we get the kids in the corner sneaking looks at us because, to them, we’re the ice cream lady,” Kathy said. “Not that they know us, but they know our shop and have seen us out here.”
Recognition extends beyond the humans who operate the shop.
“I come walking in with my cat, and I had a family recognize my cat and say, ‘Hey look, it’s the ice cream cat,’” Karen said. “We’ll have customers that come in just to see the cat. They’ll come out to see her and get ice cream as a secondary thought.”
Visitors who arrive at Twin Peaks Ice Cream, will be greeted by Kathy’s black cat, Ivy. The unofficial mascot of the shop, Ivy spends her days lounging around the yard looking for new patrons to say hello to.
Together at their shop, the sisters have created a recipe for conversations in the countryside and quality time with friends and family over a frozen scoop of Wisconsin dairy.
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