indulge with us: little freshie

lindsay larricks is living the dream on what she calls the most imperfectly perfect block in town.  

as the owner and operator of little freshie - a hand crafted espresso bar & soda fountain on kansas city's westside - life doesn't get any sweeter than this.  

if you haven't been over to the 17th & summit area of kc, consider this your wake up call.  some of the best kept secrets in the city are located on this stretch of real estate, tucked away just to the west of downtown.

we've spoken in the past via email and by phone when we tried desperately to secure her and her traveling trailer of treats for our wedding last summer.  but after finally meeting her in person,  i am convinced she is absolutely one of the sweetest business owners in town with the most infectious spirit to boot! 

we are frequent visitors to the westside and super excited that lindsay kicked off 2012 with a storefront for her crazy-cool concoctions. 

but let's back up a little bit... 

lindsay got her start in the all-natural snow cone business a few years ago after a trip to autin, tx. while there, she took note of the food truck trend that was on the rise and quickly realized there was a place in the game for her.  having an impressive garden in her own backyard, from which she was already supplying several area restaurants with herbs, she got the idea to combine her love of gardening with all natural ingredients and start a road-show of tastebud harmony all her own. 

you've probably met her on several occasions while attending first fridays in the crossroads art district.

after a few years of setting her own hours and choosing which events to attend, the perfect oppotunity to open a storefront came available and she jumped at the chance. 

today you can pop into little freshie almost any day of the week to enjoy a variety of sodas, snow cones, "shrubs" or freshly brewed espresso while taking a seat at the big windows and watching the westside go by. 

for a real treat, may i suggest the snow cone flight?  be sure the lemon prickly pear and the blackberry lavender make it on your list of selections. 

never heard of a "shrub"?  i hadn't either until lindsay insisted i try the root beer shrub.  it is soda spiked with house-infused vinegars that is tart, refreshing, non alcoholic, sugar free and apparently contains several great health benefits. 

i just like to say they are:  insane.  delicious.  necessary. 

then follow that up with:  yes please and thank you. 

you'll find all kinds of other amazing little things around the store too.  i'm in love with these all natural scented candles and these little hand forged bottle openers.

plus don't miss the other local delicacies on hand like the always amazing  au bon macaroons ...

and one of the best locally brewed coffees - oddly correct.

the weather is finally starting to cool down around kansas city and everyone seems to have fall on their mind.  i asked lindsay what her plans were for the cooler months ahead.  she says there are some fantastic seasonal flavors about to be unveiled.

i needed to know if this involved anything of the pumpkin variety.

she assured me it did.  say no more lindsay!  we'll be back soon.

and because you know we like to support local businesses as much as possible, it's now time to get to know your local biz owner with three questions starring lindsay larricks of little freshie.

1. Quick Bio - Tell our readers a little about you, where you grew up, where you currently live and what your favorite television show was as a kid?
   
   
   My name is Lindsay Laricks and I was named after one of the twins on the show Little House on the Prairie. My namesake's character happened to be the one that tumbles down the hill in the opening credits. Having always felt a little inner turmoil about being named after a clumsy kid, I did a little research. Much to my relief, my research revealed that 'Lindsay' also translates to 'island of lime trees'. Considering that my current business is highly focused on creating a fruit-filled, refreshing escape for people, I've decided that this interpretation is the one that I will be running with from here on out.
   
   
   I grew up in Overland Park, KS where I watched way too many episodes of Pee Wee's Playhouse. I proceded to imitate Pee Wee on a daily basis, driving everyone in my house crazy.
   
   
   
   
   2.  How did you end up here? What was the career path that lead you to this moment in time?
   
   
   My career path has been like a pinball machine. I studied science & chemistry in college for 3 years, only to drastically switch gears and finish with a degree in Graphic Design. I worked at a small design studio named Willoughby Design Group right out of school. I left Willoughby to Associate Art Direct in the corporate world of Hallmark. I jumped ship to help my my sweetie build his small business at Hammerpress, a letterpress & design studio. Then I Associate Creative Directed in the design department at Barkley for a few years. THAT is when I got my wild snow cone idea. Now I sell all natural snow cones and sodas for a living. (insert ding!ding!ding! pinball machine noise here).
   
   
   3.  What do you really love about your job? 
   
   
   I have to start with some of my regular customers. Some of my favorites are under the age of 5. Oggie, who's favorite color is white or yellow (loved him instantly just for that reason alone) will always put a smile on my face when he comes through the door. Maddox, another little one, who's face lights up when he sees me and prefers watermelon basil over plain watermelon (again, scored HUGE points with the snow cone lady with that one). There was also a day where two neighborhood 8 year olds had obviously gone home to get money from mom to come up and share some treats. I loved that their parents felt confident and safe sending them to Little Freshie. I also love being in my office downstairs at Little Freshie and even over the loud refrigeration, I can still hear loud, booming laughter upstairs. People of all ages meet here. I wanted to create a happy place for people to escape to and I'm happy to see that it's working...
   
   

go visit our friends at little freshie and show them some love on facebook too.

thanks lindsay for keeping it real and keeping it fresh!  check back later this week for details on a
little freshie giveaway!

we love hearing from you --- leave us a comment to let us know you stopped by and tell us what you think of little freshie!