New family business blends ice cream and creativity
Pictured: The sauce and sprinkles station with Cecily and Emma busy in the background at yesterday’s opening.
Another new business has opened on Waimate's main street, creating a space where people can enjoy an ice cream, get creative and catch up with friends.
The Old Tin Shed Ice Cream and Art Emporium was officially opened on Sunday, with a crowd gathering in the winter sunshine to eat ice cream, get arty and watch the ribbon cutting.
The new business serves Kapiti ice cream with a sauces and sprinkles bar at the front, while an art studio at the back will host creative workshops and activities.
The new venture is run by Emma Heppell, her husband Craig, and their children, Cecily and Hugo.
"We really hope this is a cool community place," Emma said.
"I want people to come here and just enjoy it."
Bringing it to the street
While the business officially opened in town on Sunday, Emma has been inspiring local artists from the old tin shed on her Timaru Road property since 2021.
Over the past four years, hundreds of children have taken part in after-school art clubs, school holiday programmes and creative workshops. Adults have also embraced the opportunity, with popular Sip 'n' Splatter and Sip 'n' Stick sessions offering a relaxed way to explore their artistic side.
The move into Queen Street means those creative experiences now have a permanent home in the heart of Waimate - alongside ice cream.
A century of ice cream
The opening also celebrated the building's rich history. The former El Paso premises were once home to Ward's Ice Cream, which began in 1922 when Hannah Jane Ward hand-churned ice cream using milk from the family's dairy farm just outside Waimate.
In a fitting tribute, the ribbon was cut by Hannah Jane Ward's great-granddaughter, Leanne Taylor-Rose, who travelled from Timaru for the occasion.
Leanne shared memories passed down through her family of people taking ice creams from the parlour across to the picture theatre, while her grandfather often talked about Waimate rugby teams calling in for milkshakes after training.
What started as a small family business grew into a well-known South Island ice cream manufacturer before production moved to Timaru in 1966. The business was eventually sold to Cloverlea in the 1980s.
Leanne Taylor-Rose, great-granddaughter of Ward's Ice Cream founder Hannah Jane Ward.
More than an ice cream shop
Beyond the ice cream, the Old Tin Shed will also offer creative workshops and activities for children and adults, including school holiday programmes, Sip 'n' Splatter and Sip 'n' Stick sessions, birthday parties and other hands-on art experiences.
Rather than formal art lessons, Emma said the focus is on providing the materials, space and encouragement for people to explore their creativity in a relaxed environment.
Today, almost a century after Hannah Jane Ward first began selling ice cream from the site, people are once again stopping in for an ice cream — and perhaps discovering a new creative hobby at the same time.
https://www.theoldtinshed.org.nz/
41 Queen Street, Waimate.
