Serendipity Homemade Ice Cream will open a location in the Grove next year

Serendipity Homemade Ice Cream is opening a new location nearly two decades after its doors first opened in Webster Groves, as reported by St Louis Magazine. Owner Beckie Jacobs plans to open the new location in early 2022 on the ground level of the Gateway Lofts at 4400 Manchester Ave. in the Grove. Jacobs originally opened Serendipity in 2003 when she was looking to start her own small business and noticed a gap in the number of ice cream shops in the area. As an ice cream lover herself, she wanted a hard scoop ice cream shop – ideally in a walkable neighborhood. 

The Grove is another buzzing, walkable neighborhood, according to Jacobs, who said of her new location, “The space found me.” The landlords of the building, Amy and Amrit Gill of Restoration St. Louis, encouraged Jacobs. “They said they had the perfect place for me,” she said. The new location is larger with a better layout than the shop in Webster Groves, which will allow the team more kitchen space to “continue what they are doing in a bigger way,” Jacobs said. 

Serendipity’s new location in the Grove will have the same menu as the original location, as well as some additional options. There will be the traditional scoops, sundaes and shakes, along with rotating seasonal flavors. But what will make the Grove location special is Jacobs’ concept of “coffee to cocktails and ice cream in between.” There are over 50 apartments part of Gateway Lofts that sit above the new location, but there is no coffee available in the building. Jacobs plans to open up the shop bright and early to serve coffee and pastries to local residents. 

In the evening, Serendipity will offer a cocktail menu and small plates. “I kind of see it as a place for people who just need a little nightcap – a little unwinding before they go home,” said Jacobs. 

Although details are still being worked out, the 2,000-square-foot space will have a vibe similar to the original spot, but it will be a bit more upscale. “Amy Gill is extremely talented in the design side of things,” said Jacobs. “We’re designing it in such a way so it flows from ice cream shop to cocktail bar as you walk through.”