A Florida ice cream and candy shop is coming to Lenexa development
A new Lenexa development is bringing in a growing Florida-based chain known for its lineup of small-batch ice cream and other sweet treats.
Cory Mosley, the vice president of growth and franchise development for Pecan Jacks, confirmed the ice cream parlor would be making its KC-area debut with a franchise location this fall at Vista Village, a multimillion-dollar development under construction.
The shop sells ice cream — made in-house at each store at least once a week, according to Mosley — and candies like pralines, brittle and chocolate-dipped treats. Most locations feature a selection of about 15 ice cream flavors stored in a dipping cabinet, including classics and seasonal options like banana pudding, cookies and cream, key lime pie and red velvet.
Pecan Jacks also sells a few dairy-free and gluten-free flavors, and most stores offer boozy varieties of ice cream, like the bourbon pecan praline, available for customers 21 and older. In an email, Mosley said the owners are currently working with Kansas so that the Lenexa location can sell alcohol-infused ice cream flavors.
While the store has become known more for its lineup of classic and seasonal ice cream flavors, it started in 2009 as a praline company by husband-and-wife Tim and Veronica “Ronnie” Wyatt.
Along the walls of the store and behind glass displays, guests can find boxes of various pralines, which come in classic, chocolate-dipped, or infused with bourbon or Caribbean rum. Each store also offers brittle with four flavor options: Southern pecan, bayou pecan, cashew and pistachio.
Pecan Jacks also sells gummy candies, chocolates and some external candy brands — mostly nostalgic treats like Pop Rocks, Mosley said.
“It’s things that harken back to people’s childhood,” Mosley said.
Some good news for the indecisive: Guests can sample most treats in store, including Pecan Jacks ice cream, pralines and their brittle. There will also be some limited indoor seating at the Lenexa space.
The franchisees of the Lenexa location are sisters Neyam Manohar and Muditta Gambhir. Manohar is an Olathe resident who has been to Pecan Jacks locations in Florida with her family and wanted to bring it closer to her loved ones and other families in the Kansas City area.
“You always feel happy in the store,” Manohar said. “We want to share that sweetness and emotion in our community here locally.”
The location marks the first Pecan Jacks in the Midwest, and the brand is adding several new stores across the country in the coming months. Mosley said it was too early to put out an exact opening date and information on hours, but other stores normally operate daily from morning to night.
The store also joins a major development from West Star, which includes Vista Village and Vista Ridge off of Kansas Highway 10. In addition to apartments, Vista Village is getting the second location of KC Bier Co., Callie Mae’s Barkery & Bath and Gio Outdoors, reported the Kansas City Business Journal.
The Pecan Jacks address at Vista Village is 9707 Ridgeview Road.