Andrew Garcia
Tropicana Ice Cream Shop, Owner
The Tropicana Ice Cream Shop has been around for a year and a half. It’s basically an ice cream shop and a snack shop at the same time.
One of my parents’ cousins started the shop, and they offered to sell it to us and we bought it. It’s all family-run. My mom has always liked to cook stuff and to make food for others and finally was able to make a business out of it.
I was born on the west side of Chicago and moved here when I was around 5. It took a while to get adjusted. We moved from home to home. We even slept on my aunt’s living room floor in a trailer for a while. I went to high school here and graduated and now I’m a freshman at IU Bloomington.
We closed for a couple of weeks due to the virus and we were able to reopen. We had to remove the chairs and tables, but we did carryout and we were able to do delivery as well. Obviously business slowed down for a lot of businesses around here. The community did a good job of sticking together. We were still able to sell a good amount.
Things obviously have changed. People are less likely to go out. But I’m actually surprised in seeing how people have reacted positively. I think this pandemic has brought us together in a way, and has made us look out for each other more in times of need.
We donated around 28 pounds of food to the hospital. We thought this would be a good way to give back as well as to show that community we’re all in this together, you know?
What I really like about the community in Goshen is how connected and close we all are. I like how culturally diverse it is. It allows for different ways of thinking and different beliefs, and that’s what I believe this country’s all about. It allows for us to be where we are today. Who would have thought that some immigrants from Mexico would be able to start their businesses? This is an American dream, I think. I’m grateful for everyone who’s been supporting us along the way.
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