Working on the ambulance together for years as Escalon Community Ambulance staffers, Vanessa Herrero and Leah Truelove knew something was missing.
And it was when they were out of district, taking a refreshment break, when the idea hit.
“We knew we didn’t have a frozen yogurt place in district, and we wanted a frozen yogurt place in district,” Truelove said simply. “So, we decided to open one.”
Both are paramedics and have worked countless shifts together on the ambulance; Herrero is also the current ECA Chief and serves as the Collegeville Fire Chief. Truelove has a 5-year-old daughter but the two thought they could squeeze out some time in their tight schedules to become business owners.
“We had been working and it was quiet and we went to go eat froyo,” added Herrero of the idea forming. “And we were like, this would be really fun, this would be cute to have, I want this in town … and then it just snowballed.”
Not only did they bring their shop to the Escalon Center in the 2200 block of Jackson, they hosted a one-year anniversary gathering there on Friday, June 30. Along with plenty of flavors and topping options for the frozen yogurt, the late afternoon-early evening gathering featured a magician, balloon artist, corn hole and karaoke.
“For both of us, as paramedics, our jobs are pretty serious so it is really nice to have this; it allows us to see the community in a different way,” explained Truelove. “In a fun, uplifting, lighthearted way and that’s really important to have for us.”
Herrero said they also wanted to make it a fun place for kids to go, so there is a specific area set aside for kids with a magnet board, there are games set up on tables for youngsters to enjoy and lots of café style tables for eating the frozen treat.
“We focused on kid friendly,” Herrero said. “As moms, we’ve been through all of that, taking your kids somewhere … here, they can touch, they can make a mess, they can’t hurt anything; mess is like our middle name so that’s what we wanted.”
Hours are Wednesdays through Sundays, 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., closed Monday and Tuesday.
“That’s our first love,” Herrero added of Escalon Community Ambulance and working their shifts there. “But this has been a lot of fun; we’re really excited that we made it a year, you never know, with COVID and the economy, there’s a lot that goes into running a small business and it’s not easy to do in a small town. We’ve been really fortunate that we have awesome regulars.”
They also praised the staff, Kaylie Herrero – Vanessa’s daughter – along with McKenna Pearce, Mia Cortez and Jessica Pantoja, the crew that keeps it running smoothly.
“Those four girls help us with the shop when we’re not here and they have been such good assets to us; they are all local, they live in town,” Truelove said, adding that they are happy they are able to offer some employment opportunities.
All in all, the duo is making the dual careers work, staying involved in emergency services and operating a successful small business.
