Simply blocks away from my New York Metropolis residence lies a relic of the previous — a 16 Handles, nonetheless totally working in all its 2012 glory. First opened in 2008, the storefront had 9 direct opponents inside a three-block radius that included Pinkberry, Pink Mango, Tasti D Lite, and Ben & Jerry’s, based on Solomon Choi, founder and CEO of the model. “2012 was a growth 12 months for us and we had [around] 20 shops open by the tip of that 12 months,” Choi tells Refinery29. “I feel the growth occurred at a time customers had been centered on better-for-you, but tasty, ice cream alternate options. The novelty of self-serve and personalization was additionally a rising development in all issues, together with frozen dessert.”
