The smell of freshly made waffle cones and a warm “Welcome Home” greets each person who enters Welcome Home Creamery and Coffee store. Whether you visit the original location along East Main Street in Hampton or the new store in Locust Grove’s Ingle’s shopping center, you are sure to find a tasty, homemade treat.

Creating a “happy” business was co-owners Devlin Cleveland and Lakeisha Gantt’s inspiration for Welcome Home Creamery and Coffee. So, the pair went to ice cream and coffee school and spent one-year planning and prepping to build a business in the community that would bring happiness to their customers.

“If you would’ve told me 10 years ago that instead of being a full-time lawyer, I would be scooping ice cream, making specialty coffee drinks, and baking, I would’ve laughed and asked you to leave my office,” says Gantt. “But, as you get older, you realize your sanity, happiness, and peace is important.”

 Welcome Home Creamery and Coffee is a labor of love for both owners. Cleveland is the ice cream maker, while Gantt bakes the pastries. “We stir, we sift flour, we cook bacon and crunch it up, we make the Key Lime pies, and we peel the peaches and apples we get from local farms,” explains Gantt.         

The unique experience of Welcome Home Creamery and Coffee is the ever-changing ice cream flavors and desserts. You could stop by at lunch and enjoy Candied Maple Bacon ice cream and return later to find Double Chocolate Cheesecake or Lavender ice cream has replaced the sold-out Candied Maple Bacon.

Stop by Welcome Home Creamery and Coffee in Hampton or Locust Grove and grab a delicious homemade goodie. Whether it’s a yummy scoop of Cleveland’s award-winning Banana Pudding ice cream or Gantt’s delightful Peach Cobbler, you won’t be disappointed.

And you may find your flavor on the menu next time you stop in, as Cleveland and Gantt are always interested in hearing their customers’ suggestions for new ice cream flavors and desserts.

If you’re looking for a great way to celebrate a special event or birthday, Welcome Home Creamery and Coffee offers ice cream-making classes and numerous birthday packages, and you can even have a Slumber Party in the ice cream shop. Welcome Home Creamery and Coffee also caters and takes orders for holidays or other special occasions.

By Michelle Nunnally