Long before Katie Prouse ever scooped a cone in Mount Elgin, another family member already had. Irv’s Ice Cream Shop takes its name from Irvin Prouse — the great-grandfather of Katie’s husband, Matt, and grandfather of his cousin Keith — who once sold Silverwood ice cream at this exact spot in the village.
Opening in June 2025 wasn’t just a business decision for Katie; it was a chance to revive a family legacy. “Ice cream has always been a favourite of the Prouse family,” Katie said, recalling stories passed down through generations — first dates, new flavours debuting, grandchildren’s trips for root beer floats, daughters and granddaughters who once worked the booth itself. “We decided we wanted to carry on the traditions and invite locals to make new memories.”
There was a second motivation behind the shop, just as personal: creating local jobs for young people, including the couple’s own sons, Aidan and Curtis — Irv’s great-great-grandsons. “We wanted to utilize the space to support our community and give local young people… a part-time job right here in the village, where there’s not many opportunities for youth employment,” Katie said.
What’s grown out of that combination of nostalgia and purpose is, in Katie’s words, something closer to an experience than a typical ice cream stand. Beyond the ice cream itself, the shop has become a genuine community hub — a spot where families walk for a treat, local businesses sell their own products and wares, and Katie’s parents helped design fun additions like a height-measuring photo board that turns the line-up itself into part of the fun. “These additions have helped make our shop more of an experience than just a typical ice cream store,” she said.
Much of that community feel comes from deliberate collaboration with neighbouring businesses — advice Katie would pass on to anyone just starting out. “I would try really hard to get to know the businesses around you and introduce yourself,” she said. “Collaborate, shop locally, share ideas.” Irv’s milkshakes are made using milk from New Galma Dairy, a local partnership Katie’s proud to feature on the menu. The shop has also teamed up with JTK Meat Shop in Verschoyle, who have featured a coupon for dessert at Irv’s as part of their lunch specials, and benefits from its proximity to Sara’s Sausage Express, right next door. “A milkshake’s a great addition to burgers and fries,” Katie said. “Working with other businesses in the area has been a really good experience — you can find out what people are looking for, what people are in need of.”
As a still-new business, Katie says the biggest surprise so far has been how little control she has over demand. Ice cream sales, it turns out, follow the weather and the community’s calendar far more than any marketing plan. “The main lesson is the ice cream business isn’t really driven by a marketing calendar — it’s really based on weather,” she said. Ball games, soccer matches, events at the United Church next door, and even a good day on the course at The Oxford Hills all send customers her way, unpredictably. Ice cream is manufactured just 13 minutes from the shop, with free delivery on Wednesdays — but Katie is often back for more by Friday. “There’s really no patterns whatsoever.”
Looking ahead, Katie is focused on stretching the season and widening the shop’s impact. She’s begun bringing in products from young entrepreneurs in the community, with all proceeds going directly back to them — a way of introducing kids to business the same way Irv’s family history inspired her own. On the menu side, she’s eyeing at expansion to help keep the shop open longer into the colder months. Last year, Irv’s ran from June through nearly Christmas before closing for the winter, scaling back to Fridays and Saturdays after Thanksgiving. “Ice cream isn’t just a summer thing. People like it all year, and there’s not always that opportunity,” Katie said. Extending the season also means extending the jobs the shop can offer local youth — something that matters as much to her as the ice cream itself.
That community-first mindset runs through everything Katie says about doing business in Rural Oxford. Having lived in the area for 20 years and grown up in nearby Ingersoll, she’s watched Mount Elgin grow substantially — by her estimate, roughly tenfold in housing since she arrived — without losing the small-town closeness she values. “When I moved out here 20 years ago, there were maybe one-tenth of the houses that there are now, and we knew everyone,” she said. Kids who recognize her from her full -time job as a teacher at a local public school stop by the window to share news of a birthday or a soccer win, neighbours pop in just to say hello, and Katie sees the shop as one more way of building on a sense of community she’s always been part of. “There’s still pride in your community and a desire to get to know your neighbours, and this kind of allows people to do that.”
If there’s one thing Katie wants people to understand about Irv’s, it’s that the shop isn’t a solo effort, “Although I’m the face behind Irv’s and everyone associates me with the business, I couldn’t do this without the help of my husband, Matt, and Keith, his business partner, our parents, and the seven employees that we have,” she said. “It takes a village.”
Our primary goal is to provide youth in Mt. Elgin with employment opportunities in our community. That’s what matters most here. Of course profits are essential for any business venture, but the real cherry on top is when you get to help young staff earn their food handler certification, gain real work experience, and in some cases parlay that experience into their next job. “It’s a fun family project making a lasting impact in others lives,” Katie said.
Irv’s Ice Cream Shop
Katie & Matt Prouse
333235 Plank Line, Mt. Elgin, ON
South-West Oxford Township
Established 2025
facebook.com/Irv’s Ice Cream Shop
@irvsicecreamshop