Ice Cream
General Questions
We’ve carried other brands in the past, but would often run into issues like freezer burn or texture inconsistencies. None of them could compare to the overall quality and consistency of Kemp’s!
We hear you! There are so many awesome flavors out there, but we unfortunately have to abide by supply and demand. If we don’t have a particular flavor you’re looking for, it’s either because there’s a low demand for it, or we’ve carried it in the past and it didn’t sell well. Plus our freezer space is limited (for now), so we want to be sure we rotate everyone’s favorites throughout the season!
We’re always listening though, and if there’s something you’ve just GOT to have, let us know! The more often we hear about something, the more willing we are to take a chance on a new flavor!
We would love to carry Limited Edition, Small Batch, and Seasonal flavors year round–they’re delicious! However, Kemp’s doesn’t produce them all year, so we can’t buy them after a certain time frame.
We ask that you please enjoy your ice cream before or after shopping–not during! Everyone has the best intentions and promises not to spill, but we’ve unfortunately had too many accidents. We’re unable to sell a piece of clothing if it’s been washed, or even spot-treated, so if we find any clothing or products with stains, it has to be thrown away.
If you absolutely have to take a look, and you have NOT eaten any of your ice cream, we can place your cone or cup in our freezer, which you can grab after you’re done shopping!
We appreciate your understanding and patience!
We are not offering a delivery service at this time, but you can call your order in for pick up! Wait times will vary depending on how many customers we have in-store, and pick-up orders are in to-go cups/containers only at this time.
We understand the harmful effects of plastic waste, and hope to reduce ours in the future. We unfortunately can’t find an economic replacement for our current products that wouldn’t dissolve as you enjoy your ice cream, or leave the taste of cardboard in your mouth!
We do have metal straws available for purchase in our store, and will continue to research more sustainable options.
We placed as much of our waste in the local recycling program, however, officials shut it down due to the regular abuse of drop-off sites. We’ll resume a recycling process once this opens, or once we find a feasible process to recycle.
Allergen and Dietary Preferences
For two (unfortunate) reasons!
First, sugar-free ice cream in general is tricky! There’s a lot of science behind it, but long story short, sugar is what helps maintain ice cream’s texture and keeps it from getting too hard. So with sugar-free ice creams, we ran into a rock-hard product that’s very difficult to scoop, plus it always developed into a grainy, crunchy texture. Gross.
Second, we unfortunately don’t have a high enough demand for it. When we’ve carried it in the past, we wound up having to throw most of it away. We switched to individually wrapped sugar-free novelty treats to cut down on waste and wait times, but most customers opted for a full-sugar product instead, and we ended up throwing the treats away too.
We’d love to offer more options in the future, so we’re continually looking for quality sugar-free ice cream that we can offer. Check our menu frequently for updates!
We’re not offering these products at this time due to little demand for them. Kemp’s is also not currently offering these options on a wholesale level, so we’re unable to buy any.
If demand rises for more of these products, we’re more than happy to look into carrying these in the future!
While we do our very best to prevent cross-contamination of our ice creams, and will do our best to ensure our scoops are nut-free, we can’t guarantee that our ice creams and ice cream scoops don’t have residual nuts and/or oils.
Kemp’s also states on their website that they have an allergen control plan in place, but do not have a dedicated line for product containing nuts, so final products may contain nuts or oils. They (and we) also recommend having a chat with your doctor to assess your risk.
See excerpt below from Kemp’s website:
Ice cream itself is gluten free but may contain inclusions which contain gluten.
Anyone looking for a gluten free product should avoid the following ice cream products:
- ice cream sandwiches
- ice cream cones
Ice cream flavors which have the following inclusions contain gluten:
- apple crisp
- brownie batter
- brownie pieces
- cake pieces
- candies (may have a flour component that contains gluten)
- cheesecake
- cookie dough
- cookie pieces
- graham cracker
- pie pieces
- spumoni (the color contains gluten)
Products containing gluten are manufactured in the same manufacturing facility as gluten free products.
Kemp’s has always had strict Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) to avoid cross-contact of our gluten free products with gluten and we continue to strengthen these practices.
The GMPs include employee training, strict raw material control, production schedule management and sanitation practices that include performing thorough equipment wash-downs to eliminate cross-contact of ingredients.
Examples at our store may include: Vanilla, Cotton Candy, Superman, Rum Black Cherry, Zanzibar Chocolate, Toasted Almond Fudge, and Maple Nut. Please use your best judgement, and as always, talk to your doctor if you have any concerns. We’ll do our very best to meet your safety needs!
Clothing
Absolutely! Just bring your receipt and item with you, and we’ll issue a full refund, or an even exchange.
Not yet! We’re hoping to open an online store in the future, but we’re in-store only right now.
Not a problem! Just give us a call to see if it’s still in stock, and we can set it aside for you or someone else to pick up. We may also be able to ship the item to your home–just ask and we’ll do our best to work with you!
Just ask one of our employees to check if we have your size in the back!
We may be able to reorder select styles mid-season, but most of our vendors are unfortunately not in production after we purchase in the spring as they’re busy working on new designs. We’ll do what we can!
We actually do! They sell very quickly, so typically by the end of the season, we’re sold out. We’re unfortunately not a large enough store to order large quantities of extended sizes, but we’re always listening and can try to adjust our quantities next season!
We totally get things can get left behind in the midst of packing, but we’re not carrying basic clothing items at this time. We did at one point, but apparently they were too basic as they never sold! We suggest the Dollar General down the road, otherwise, you’ll have to make a trip into Crosslake or the Brainerd/Baxter area!
We do carry sweatpants and pajama bottoms though if you’re in a real pinch. We may be more laid-back up north here, but we can’t have you walking around with no pants on!
You’re more than welcome to ask us if we have something that might better suit your tastes, but what we have is what we have for the season, and have very little room for adjustments and reorders.
We love to hear from you though! If there’s something that really caught your eye, but this one design or style prevented you from buying it, let us know! If it’s something we hear repeatedly, we’ll make small adjustments to our designs for next season.
Gifts
Definitely! Just bring in your receipt and item with you, and we’ll issue a full refund or an even exchange.
Not yet! We’re hoping to open an online store in the future, but we’re in-store only right now.
Give us a call! Even though we don’t have an online store (yet), we’ll do what we can to get the product to you. We can set the item aside for you or a friend to pick-up later, check to see if it’s something we can reorder, and/or figure out how to ship it to you if necessary.
Yes! Just ask when you check out, or give us a call.
Just let us know, and we’ll see if it’s something we can reorder!
Let us know which item it is, and we’ll let you know. On some things, we can actually reorder throughout the season, so you can get a brand new one instead! We’ll call you once it’s back in stock!
If it’s truly the last item and it’s something that’s been discontinued, or something we can’t reorder, we’ll see what we can do.
Other
Recreation
Just on the north side of the store, across from the trail map!
The local ATV chapter actually provides them for free, and they drop off a handful of them in the store! We’re not affiliated with them, however, so we can’t answer specific questions, and can’t always keep the maps in stock.
A large, permanent map is located across the street on the north side of the store that you can look at and take a picture of for your convenience!
In all honesty, we probably don’t have a clue!
The DNR has a great map here though that shows Crow Wing County lakes and rivers, and their access points!
Chances are pretty good we have no idea!
Check out Crow Wing County’s website for campgrounds here.
We’re a small, rural town, so there are a lot of lakes, rivers, and forests to play in! Many of the local resorts and other businesses offer pontoon, canoe, and/or kayak rentals, lazy river tubing, guided fishing, and much more!
Need a place to stay?
There are several resorts and motels in town that offer lake views or easy-access to town, ATV trails, and more including Lake Emily Resort, Ruth Lake Resort, Angell’s Hideaway Resort, Frank’s Resort, Y-Not Ranch Motel, and Wigwam Motel.
For a more rustic experience, there are many RV and tent camping sites in the nearby area!
Still want to shop?
The Landing at the south end of town has handmade crafts and goodies to pick up.
Need to stock up the fridge?
Be sure to visit Emily Meats for fresh quality meats, or Lake Country Foods for your other groceries.
Check out Redding’s next to the Holiday gas station if you need more beer or liquor for the weekend.
Hungry?
Diner’s Chicken Shack has classic diner fare, chicken dinners, and much more from 7 am – 2 pm everyday!
The Pickled Loon has opened a new location just north of Emily, and offer delicious lunch and dinner options (you can even take your own freshly caught fish there and have them cook it up for you)! They’ve also just began serving delicious breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday mornings starting at 8 am!
The Channel in Outing also offers great bar and grill options you can enjoy right alongside the channel (get it?) of Roosevelt Lake!
*Coming Soon* Red Pine Cookhouse will be a brand new restaurant opening late summer ’21 in the gorgeous log cabin just down the street from us. They’ll be offering American and Asian fare with daily seasonal specials–can’t wait!
Want to grab a drink?
The Log Cabin Bar just across from Holiday serves up great drinks and pub fare.
Golfer?
Head over to beautiful Emily Greens, rated the #1 Golf Course in the Brainerd Lakes Area in 2018 and 2019, just west of town off County Rd 1.
Want even more?
Head over to our neighbors in Outing, Crosslake, Crosby, Nisswa, Pequot Lakes, and Brainerd/Baxter!
Other
We do not at this time (but maybe someday we will)!
We’re open to it! Just contact us if you’re interested in selling a product in our store.