Story by Amy Turner, Staff writer
Photo courtesy of Renee Hayden
Rolled ice cream is becoming a new trend, popping up all over social media recently. Since learning about rolled ice cream, a couple set out on a mission to bring the new dessert to Paducah, Kentucky. Randy and Renee Hayden and their two daughters opened their shop, originally called Curls and Cream in June 2017.
Since opening the store, the Hayden’s family business has been wildly popular, bringing in hundreds of guests interested in the unique treat. Now that they have been in business for over a year, they have decided to open up for franchise.
“We decided to franchise because customers asked how to get our stores in their towns,” Renee Hayden said. “We get asked at least three times a day.”
The new franchise opportunity led to the need for a new name. To franchise, the store needed to have something they could trademark, so the Haydens created Craving the Curls. The old name, Curls and Cream, needed to be changed because was too similar to another pending trademark application.
This name not only capitalizes on the rolled ice cream but also on the family trait of girls with curly hair.
According to their website, “The ladies in the family share a defining characteristic. We all have curly hair… thus the name of our shop, naturally, is ‘Craving the Curls.’”
The business is focused on family and bringing people together. The Hayden’s set out to learn the basic techniques and develop their own unique recipe since learning about the dessert, which originates from Thailand.
“We love what we do and we feel it shows in our ice cream,” Hayden said. “Everything we do is pure with no food coloring or artificial flavors.”
Even with the franchises and new stores, the family is hoping to continue to keep the family focus in the new stores.
“My husband and I are in the store every day,” Hayden said. “We’re hoping one of my daughters will take over the social media and marketing for our franchises.”
Since the announcement July 30 of this year, the Haydens have received tons of interest in franchises opening. After five months of legal processing, they now hope to spread across the nation.
Not only is the business about family, but Craving the Curls also places a large emphasis on supporting local Paducah businesses. All the businesses that help with everything from the decor to the uniforms of the store are from Paducah and will be the providers for any franchising stores in the future.
These businesses include Pipers Tea and Coffee, which provide the coffee for the espresso flavor rolled ice cream, MAKE studio owned by Kijsa Housman who provides the decor, Brad Rankin Photography, River Graphics which provide the uniforms and storefront signage and Zebra Graphics, which provide the logo and marketing graphics.
“I would love to see franchise locations across the country. We want to grow outward from our town,” Hayden said.