Care and community at the forefront of Clinton’s ice cream shop
ICE CREAM FOR THE WIN – Mike Addison, left, co-owner with his wife Courtney of Pebbles Ice Cream Shop, gets a big high five from Olivia Holtzclaw, a Clinton High student and an employee of the new ice cream parlor. The Addisons said they opened the shop because they enjoy ice cream, but also because it would provide a great business where people with challenges could gain valuable work skills. Photo by Judith Brown
The 200 West Main Street shop is owned by Michael and Courtney Addison, and it opened April 16 with its summertime fare. It includes the hard-to-find dairy free and gluten free ice cream options, and it’s remained steadily busy since its opening with its focus on helping people to find their communities.
It also highlights another project recently undertaken by Courtney Addison.
“Penguins are the theme, and the name Pebbles is based on a children’s book written by Courtney, about how penguins give pebbles to each other as gifts,” Michael Addison said.
Courtney’s book is more than simply a retelling of cute penguin behavior, however. The book, which is illustrated but not yet published, addresses the need for care and helping people find their own community, especially for those she sees from her work as an occupational therapist.
Working with a student who was at the time in the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program at Presbyterian College, Courtney developed tools for assisting autistic children, and it became the premise of the book, Pebbles the Penguin. It’s even more significant now that the Addisons are the legal guardians of a toddler who’s received an early diagnosis of autism.
“The book is all about finding your path and belonging to a caring com- munity,” she said. “It’s about feeling a sense of belonging.”
That concept seemed to translate well to an ice cream shop, and to extend that conviction, Addison has hired individuals who were either on an autism spectrum or others who could use the help in developing skills through their work in Pebbles Ice Cream Shop.
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY – Late last month, the Laurens County Chamber of Commerce, friends and family gathered for a ribbon cutting for Pebbles Ice Cream Shop. Photo by Judith Brown
“That was one of our motivations for opening the shop,” she said, “because there’s such a need here to provide job options.”
The staff also includes an occupational therapist who assists with training other staff members.
“The Pebbles the Penguin book is about finding your purpose and that’s what I wanted to provide for others who might need some time before finding their purpose,” she said. “Plus they are building skills and finding a welcoming place here.”
The family-friendly aspect is a big part of Pebbles Ice Cream Shop, Courtney said, and starting on Saturday afternoons at 1 p.m., one of the staff members will be launching Saturday Puppet Shows. Families are welcome to attend free of charge, she said.
The purchase of ice cream is not required, though admittedly the children of the families may have something to say about that.
This story ran on Page 3 of the Wednesday, May 13 issue of The Laurens County Advertiser.
