Laura Glesby file photo
Grewal in front of the possible future ice cream shop.
When Elena Grewal looks at the vacant storefront at 831 Orange St., she envisions swirling soft-serve, dollops of hot fudge, coffee and wine, and neighbor-to-neighbor conversations.
Grewal is taking preliminary steps to create an ice cream shop in a vacant storefront on the corner of Orange and Canner — one that she hopes will double as a cafe and community space one block from East Rock Park.
On Monday night, as the East Rock Community Management Team convened for its monthly meeting over Zoom, Grewal momentarily broke from her role as management team chair to float this idea to the group. She received a flood of warm responses from neighbors and a formal vote of support from the team.
Until recently, the spot in question at 831 Orange housed Ayah‑H Market Mediterranean and Pizza restaurant, a family-owned neighborhood staple that fell victim to the pandemic-fueled economic downturn.
Having recently moved back to New Haven from San Francisco, Grewal found herself missing her favorite soft-serve, organic ice cream truck — Twirl and Dip — in Golden Gate Park.
Grewal said one of the founders of Twirl and Dip has agreed to share recipes with for her for the East Rock ice cream shop, which she would call Elena’s on Orange.
“I have this vision of people walking in the park and then coming to get ice cream,” Grewal told the management team. Currently, “there’s nothing focused on ice cream in walking distance.”
When she first hatched the idea, Grewal posted a survey link on the door of 831 Orange, where she aimed to gather neighbors’ reactions and requests for the shop. The survey has so far garnered 300 responses. Based on the online feedback, Grewal decided to plan for non-dairy flavors and a mix of indoor and outdoor seating. She also heard widespread requests for the ice cream shop to serve coffee. (“I was shocked by that, because there’s so much coffee” in the neighborhood — ”but people love coffee,” she said.)
In addition to ice cream and cafe drinks, Grewal would like to experiment with other food items like pastries and smoothies. She also hopes to eventually apply for a liquor license to serve wine.
The now-vacant former home of Ayah-H Market.
Preliminary floor plan for Elena's on Orange.
In the Zoom room chat, management team attendees oozed enthusiasm for the idea.
“So many school kids within walking distance!! Sounds like a win to me!” wrote David Shimchick.
“Here to say I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree!” Jonah Kelly added. “I couldn’t be more excited about this possibility.”
Grewal even received a few suggestions for cold-weather offerings. Rob Rocke interjected in the chat, “Soup = awesome winter idea!” Wotjek Borowski put in a request for “European hot chocolate.”
Grewal has applied for a zoning variance that would allow her to include both indoor and outdoor seating without creating new parking spots.
“We don’t think we need parking,” Grewal said. “This is meant to be for people in the neighborhood walking in the park. There’s also a bus stop right outside.”
Led by Kevin McCarthy, the management team voted to author a letter of support for Elena’s on Orange ahead of the Board of Zoning Appeals hearing.
While Grewal emphasized that the idea is still early-stage, she said she hopes to model a process of community-driven economic development in which prospective business owners gain neighborhood feedback and present to management teams before solidifying plans.
This would be wonderful! Hope it becomes a reality.