Big Softie, a shop that offers soft serve ice cream made with locally-sourced ingredients, opened its second Atlanta location on Labor Day weekend on Highland Avenue in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood.
The original Big Softie, which is located in Summerhill, grew in popularity because of its unique ice cream with seasonally changing flavors and unconventional toppings. These are handmade at the Summerhill location and Little Tart Bakeshop, Big Softie’s sister company located next door on Georgia Avenue.
Elliot Harding, who has been working at the Big Softie in Summerhill for nearly two years, said one of the things they love most is how easy the company makes it to take on new work responsibilities.
“I really like working here; I love this company,” Harding said. “I think at some point I want to work on the Little Tart side. It’s nice that that’s an option. The company always wants there to be room for their employees to grow, so if you want to try something different, you can switch sides. It’s nice to have the sister company option there.”
Amy Odle, a Summerhill resident, said she thinks her proximity to the original store is a reason why she keeps returning in addition to the convenience of the other stores neighboring the original Big Softie.
“I really like that it’s in my neighborhood,” Odle said. “It’s an easy place to walk to with my kids and get a sweet treat. At the same time, I can also shop; there’s a ton of stores in that area and walking with an ice cream is nice. The seasonal flavors also keep it interesting.”
Big Softie enforces a 4% upcharge to cover the cost of employees’ health insurance. Odle said she appreciates this implementation, even though the charge makes the ice cream more expensive.
“I found out that they add a 4% charge onto orders so that their employees can have health insurance,” Odle said. “I think it’s really cool that they would do that, and I think all companies should do that, if I’m being honest.”
Similar to its Summerhill location, the Big Softie in Poncey-Highland is surrounded by other stores, which Harding thinks encourages people to grab an ice cream and go shopping.
“I think it’ll be great,” Harding said. “A part that I’ve been curious about is how busy it’ll be over there in comparison. Summerhill has a small town feel to it, and lots of families live here, whereas I think that Highlands feels busier and different, so it’ll be interesting to see the difference in business level, but I think that it’s definitely going to be beneficial and add to the enjoyment of the town there.”
Having previously worked at a salon next to the Plaza Theater in Poncey-Highland, Harding said they know how populated the area is and expect Big Softie to increase foot traffic.
“I live in Summerhill, and I actually used to work right down the street from where the new location is,” Harding said. “I worked at that salon that’s over there, so it’s interesting that their new location is right across from where I was. I do think that it’s fairly busy over there, and I think that the new location will add to that.”
Nathan Rivera, a junior at Midtown, went to the new Big Softie location in Poncey Highlands on the opening weekend. When he arrived the first thing he noticed was the line out of the door.
“When I first showed up there was this huge line out the door and there was nowhere to park,” Rivera said. “I thought about leaving because the line was so long. I eventually just decided to wait because I heard the ice cream was really good. It was definitely worth the wait.”
Rivera immediately noticed a difference his first time at the Big Softie compared to other ice cream places he’s been to.
“Usually ice cream places try to have a lot of different flavors that are just okay,” Rivera said. “I think the Big Softie does it right by being simplistic with the types and amount of flavors they offer. When you make classics like chocolate and vanilla really good, everybody’s going to be happy.”
