The Hangout Spot

Windhorst Family Opens Local Sweet Shop

The+Dubs+storefront+view+as+seen+from+the+Paoli+Town+Office.

Masden Embry

The Dubs storefront view as seen from the Paoli Town Office.

Mackenzie Gilliatt, Hillcrest Yearbook Editor

Dubs, owned by the Windhorst family, is the newest of three Windhorst businesses in Paoli – an addition to Windhorst for the Home furniture and appliance store and The Laundry Room laundromat. Expanding into the food industry, the Windhorsts recently opened Dubs which is an ice cream parlor and coffee shop in one located off the north end of the square across from the Paoli Town Office.

“Dubs offers frozen custard, ice cream, coffee drinks of all kinds and donuts. We will also be changing our menu often and will create new menu items to keep it exciting for customers,” said Owner William Windhorst.

The inspiration behind Dubs came from seeing people having a good time together while gathered around tables eating ice cream. With the intent to bring this idea to life, the project began in March 2022, and since then, the Windhorst family has faced some obstacles with construction.

“Getting the plans designed and drawn up was difficult and it didn’t help that the contractors we scheduled were very busy,” said Windhorst.

Dubs already has a large working staff of 18 people, most of which are high school students, and they have been training since late August. Employees got their first practice run when Dubs opened during the Fall Festival to test the waters.

“The practice run went great. We learned several things but I think the biggest was we needed to be more efficient in our processes,” said Windhorst. “I liked seeing the joy that people were having while [spending] time together.”

The Windhorst family has big hopes for Dubs and the impact it will make on the community.

“It is our wish that Dubs becomes a community hangout for anyone that wants to take a few minutes and stop and relax from their busy day. We want to train young people and guide them for a good work ethic foundation,” said Windhorst.

Dubs will be open Thursday through Saturday, with more days to add to the schedule as time goes on. Hours of operation are 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Thursdays and from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.