In late 2022, real estate agent Jess Skinner came across a listing with her broker for a sweet business opportunity: The Silver Lining Creamery in Downtown Rapid City was looking for new ownership. Even though Jess and her husband Cody were novices to the world of operating a creamery, there was just something about this opportunity that felt like it was meant for them. By December of 2022, the baton was officially passed to Jess and Cody and they were the proud new owners of The Silver Lining Creamery.
When Jess and Cody first took over, the first hurdle they overcame was employee acceptance. Jess said it was a learning experience to manage employees and foster a respectful workplace while also learning how to make the product that was so beloved by the community. “We’ve had some staff changes since we first took over but now we feel like we’ve got employees who are along for the ride and who emulate a positive, energetic, and respectful work environment,” Jess said. Five college students returned for the summer months and she loves how much fun they have together at work, singing along to the radio, and making people feel welcome. The customers have taken note of the positive energy at the store with many leaving reviews that comment on how the long line was worth the great service.
The Silver Lining Creamery has become a Rapid City staple since it first opened in 2014. Ensuring that the high quality of the product remained unchanged has always been one of the most important things to Jess and Cody during their leadership. Keeping quality top of mind, they’ve been able to put their mark on things and make non-traditional flavors that have become crowd-pleasers, like lavender honey or black licorice. They’ve also held onto the classics, like the best-selling, bright blue, cotton candy flavor.
Over the past year and a half of ownership, Jess has figured out how to mitigate the pain points of running the creamery, specifically the challenges that come with ordering supplies. Without a local wholesaler, foresight became paramount to the creamery running without any disruptions, “Last year if we ran out of stuff like spoons or gloves, we’d have to run to every store in town and snatch up what we needed. This year, my storage unit is full and so we feel ready for the summer.”
Jess says getting through the first year fills her with a sense of achievement; she’s mastered a completely new skill of making ice cream and has fully embraced becoming a boss. It’s also been a fun challenge for Cody to experiment with new flavors and embrace the creativity that owning this business has afforded him. Jess comments that they have gained experience with wholesale business in addition to operating the physical location, “I’ve been really surprised about the volume of ice cream we get to make to keep up with the demand. Since we’re a creamery, the product is made right here in the store and so we’re almost always making something, whether it’s for the store or for our wholesale customers.”
Silver Lining is gearing up for another summer of serving joy by the scoop. Whether that joy is a double scoop of cookie monster ice cream in a waffle cone or a dish of the tried-and-true vanilla (Jess’s favorite), Jess and Cody are just so happy that they said “yes” to this adventure and can offer a unique experience to their customers.
This story was originally published in the June 2024 issue of Elevate Magazine.
