BY JODI CHARNAS hanks to sisters Lori and Jennifer Gilman, the nation's first retail ice cream franchise, Carvel, debuts in Michigan June 7. The Gilman sis- ters, who grew up in West Bloomfield, have returned to open an ice cream store in their hometown. Although the girls are now work- ing side-by-side as partners, they took very different paths before opening the store together. Lori ■ PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGIE BAAN went to Western Michigan University where she majored in fashion mer- chandising. After graduating, she moved to New York where she worked as a buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue for seven years before mov- ing back to Michigan last month. Jen attended Schoolcraft College, where she majored in criminal justice. Presently, besides getting ready for opening, Jen is working security at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Jentifet (left) and Lori (right) Gilmap open a Cancl franchise this month on Orchard Lake Reath] West Bloomfield. '41,4 14 • JUNE 2004 • PLATINUM With such different backgrounds, how did these two sisters end up part- nering up? "Basically we just wanted to open a business together," say the Gilman girls. "We get along so well it just made sense." After examining five or six differ- ent franchises, Jen and Lori chose Carvel. "Ice cream is happy. It's fun. No one comes into the ice cream store angry," says Jen. And not only were they impressed by the Carvel company, they were impressed by the product itself. "All of the ice cream in the store is fresh, and handmade by us with fresh ingredients," says Lori. Carve' sends them chocolate and vanilla ice cream mixes, fat free and regular, along with recipe cards for each flavor. Following instructions, the girls will produce everything on their own. For example, to make pistachio ice cream, they take the vanilla ice cream mix and mix up all of the ingredients including real, fresh pistachios. Carvel is also famous for their ice cream cakes, which are layered with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, and Carvel's famous "chocolate crunchies." "We have any mold you can think of," insists Jen, "and if we don't have it, we'll make it." Besides any shape, scanned pictures can be put on any cake. In addition, Carve! carries other unique items such as Fudgy the Whale, Flying Saucer, Brown Bonnet, Banana Barge, and Cookie Puss, and all Carvel ice cream products are kosher certified. Soon, they will carry both sugar-free and low-carb soft serve as well. The new store, on Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield, has a mod- ern design with open ceilings, neon signs, and enough seating inside for 22 people. On the counter there are push toys for kids to play with as they wait for their order. Says Jen, "We want to be a part of the community — a place for a family to come togeth- er after dinner that's family-friendly. We want people to walk in and know our names." Although the ice cream store has an unofficial opening date at the beginning of June, there will be an official grand opening celebration on July 17 with give-aways and specials. Say Jen and Lori, "We're just really excited."