The new store called “Peace, Love & Pops”, with a fun 1970s themed design, recently appeared on University Boulevard and will open soon, at the end of May.
The store will sell popsicles, also known as popsicles. Owners Scot Harrison and Jim Roberts mentioned that they loved the simplicity and fun of eating popsicles and how they can be eaten anywhere: in the store, outside the store or people can grab and go.
“Our goal was to find a simple product and make it in a way that was easy to repeat and fun,” Harrison said.
Peace, Love & Pops owners Jim Roberts, left, and Scot Harrison, right, stand in front of a sign outside their business.
how they came up with the idea
The business idea grew out of the owners’ experience at an ice cream shop in Birmingham, Alabama called “Steel City Pops”, which they visited when Harrison was living in Alabama. Both Roberts and Harrison loved the taste of popsicles and the business idea.
Roberts mentioned that after a few years of visiting the popsicle shop in Alabama, both Harrison and Roberts left their previous jobs to pursue this business idea in Arizona. They evolved the idea and came up with their own name and brand.
The name of his store comes from Harrison’s wife. She said that in terms of the brand and name, “they wanted something fun, light-hearted and reflecting cold delight.” It also turned out that the name was available as a business and domain name.
“I couldn’t understand why we didn’t have the concept here, in one of the hottest places in the world,” Roberts said.
Why University Boulevard?
Both owners live in Oro Valley and wanted to open a business in the city. However, Harrison mentioned that they didn’t find what they wanted in terms of space. So after visiting the University of Arizona and noticing that some of the seats were vacant, they made the decision to purchase a space on University Boulevard.
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“It’s more like space finding us. There’s a huge population around here for a popsicle, lots of foot traffic… lots of visibility,” Harrison said.
Harrison said that with the number of students, faculty, surrounding businesses and the city of Tucson, it was a great location for his business.
Goals for Peace, Love and Pops
Discussing company goals, Harrison emphasized the importance of creating a company you can be proud of and one that doesn’t burn out team members.
Harrison’s background is in hospitality and radio media experience, and Roberts has experience in developing and operating convenience stores. They are able to combine their skills and strengths in an effective and collaborative way.
“We want our staff and team members to commit and earn some money, but also understand that there is more … so they can also focus on their studies and go see their family,” Harrison said.
Business owners said they want to create a work atmosphere that doesn’t feel like work and they want their employees to enjoy coming to work and be excited to be a part of it.
“We are going to see the opportunities as they come along. We don’t want to force our way into anything. We want to tell people about ourselves, but not sell people about ourselves,” Harrison said. “If we bring our personality, our product, our approach to life and this business to people and they see it for what it is and it’s genuine and real, they’ll be drawn in and we won’t have to sell to just anyone.”
How To Get $1 Off Your Next Popsicle
When the business opens in May, customers can also get a free bottle of water along with the purchase of a popsicle. If you return the water bottle, you can get $1 off your next popsicle.
“We didn’t want a bunch of [the water bottles] to be dumped on the side of the street so if you return this bottle you get a dollar off your next popsicle…. It’s part marketing, part being a good neighbor and just trying to help,” Harrison said.
For the future, both Harrison and Roberts said they hope to expand to other parts of Arizona, but for now they’re going to enjoy starting their new business.
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