Philadelphia Tribune - Index

Philadelphia Tribune - Summer Sojourner 2008 - Index

To Pamper the Palate
Cool off with a sweet
treat this summer
Kenny and Rebecca Jackson are dipping into a
cool business venture.
The husband and wife team opened a Rita’s
Water Ice location at 2829 W. Girard Ave. in the
city’s Brewerytown section.
Rebecca Jackson, who hails from Cincinnati,
became hooked on Rita’s treats after moving to
Philadelphia. Jackson, who is the co-owner of
Omega Optical, found that she wanted to pursue a
second business opportunity.
The duo spent about a year researching Rita’s
business model and finding the ideal location.
They were drawn to Brewerytown due to the
mixed demographics of the thriving community.
They were further heartened when they realized
that Girard Avenue was home to other thriving
African-American-owned businesses.
“My husband and I wanted to make sure that we
opened in an urban area. Oftentimes people get big
franchises and they head to the suburbs and move
out of the city, but we wanted to make sure that we
offered jobs to the area kids and really stick with
the community,” Jackson said.
To that end, they have hired 17 employees who
all hail from the immediate neighborhood, many
of whom are high school students.
The Jacksons held their grand opening on April
26 and invited the community to come out and
enjoy a cool treat.
“Our tag is ‘Meet your new neighbors.’ We want
everybody to know who we are,” Jackson said.
“Kenny and I will be the faces that you see at the
walk-up window. We live in this community and
we are happy to bring a Rita’s to Girard Avenue.”
The new Rita’s anchors a three-story building
that the couple purchased. While the first level is
dedicated to the retail space, the other two floors
will house two modern apartments.
Prior to opening, the Jacksons went through an
intensive six-day training process at Cool
University, based at the company’s headquarters in
Trevose.
During the training, they learned recipes, how
the product is manufactured, store management
Continued to page 24
Kenny and Rebecca
Jackson opened a
Rita’s Water Ice in the
Brewerytown section of
Philadelphia.
SOJOURNER SUMMER 2008
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