ADAMS — Here’s the scoop: The Rainbow Shack is open for business.
The business soft opened on Thursday. Shortly before, owners Emily Moulton and Kyle Danforth were putting the finishing touches on the newly reimagined Rainbow Shack at 85 Summer St.
Emily Moulton’s father, Mark Moulton, arrived in time to load 3-gallon containers of Gifford’s ice cream into a newly purchased ice cream cooler. General Manager Ingrid Poplaski, a childhood friend of Emily Moulton, was preparing to open the register.
The Rainbow Shack in Adams is open for business after going through extensive renovations.
Since the three bought the building and business as Danmark LLC in February from David and Paula Randall for $215,000, they’ve been staying up late to renovate the building.
While Danforth estimates he spent $30,000 to $40,000 on fixtures and materials, the labor he put into the renovation would probably have pushed the cost $80,000 to $100,000 if he’d hired a contractor.
The Rainbow Shack in Adams is open for business after going through extensive renovations.
He ripped out walls, worked on the building’s electrical and plumbing, and laid new flooring in the ice cream shop.
The signature of the makeover is a wall that took 80 hours to paint: pastel vertical stripes of varying thickness overlaid with a wall of stripes in pastel colors.
That wall with its message of welcome took 80 hours for Danforth to paint.
“We’re lucky we’re still married, because he was not happy,” Emily Moulton said.
The two tied the knot on a snowy April 11 at Berkshire Hills Country Club in Pittsfield — without a honeymoon. On Thursday, she strung up disco balls in the ice cream shop, reusing decorations from their wedding.
Her next April milestone was running the Boston Marathon for Boston Children’s Hospital. She met her goal of breaking four hours. She also has a fulltime job in special education in North Adams Public Schools.
Full circle
While she’s from North Adams, she attended St. Stanislaus Kostka School and remembers going to the Rainbow Shack in the fall and spring of each semester. That’s a tradition she hopes to bring back in her vision of bringing together community at the ice cream store.
Specialty cookies for sale at The Rainbow Shack on Summer Street in Adams which is reopening under new ownership and a total renovation.
She hopes to host youth leagues and to offer a point of connection for folks from Adams and North Adams. As the mother of a 16-month-old girl, Lane, she hasn’t forgotten that children like to have a nook.
She noted there’s not a place for children and adults to converge that offers treats and coffee, which is where she wants to take the business. She’s planning on buying local ingredients so that Poplaski, who is also a baker, can use those ingredients in her GoodLife baked goods, which are sold at the business as well.
Moulton also plans to sell locally made items, such as spice blends and jewelry.
A spot for little children to play is a cornerstone of the new design of the Rainbow Shack.
She’s also hired eight students from Hoosac Valley High School, Drury High School, McCann Technical School and Drury High School — hers and Danforth’s alma mater — to staff the business part time.
This isn’t Mark Moulton’s first time behind the ice cream counter, and he’ll be joined by wife Cathy in the summer for some shifts as well. He owned and operated the Moulton’s General Store in North Adams for 10 years.
Emily Moulton’s first job was at I Got Goodies in North Adams.
Danforth’s was at the Taconic Restaurant in Williamstown in the dish room. While this is his sixth business, (he currently has four) on Thursday, during the soft opening, he said he was taking notes, noting he has a lot to learn.
Lettering on that wall of stripes says, “So happy you’re here” above a white couch.
And that’s the message Emily Moulton, whose dream for years has been to open a sweet shop, hopes to convey.
