When customers ring the bell at Scooper’s Dairy Bar in Brudenell, P.E.I., the pint-sized employee behind the counter can sometimes be a surprise. Roya Cooper, 11, is turning her summer break into sweet profit. She runs the shop herself, checking freezer temperatures, scooping sundaes and balancing the books. “They think that I’m way older,” Roya said. Some cash she had saved up helped start the shop. A loan through the Community Business Development Corporation, a not-for-profit network that finances small businesses and startups in Atlantic Canada, covered the rest. “I thought ice cream was really cool. I liked eating it, and I wanted to start a business,” she said. It is not her first enterprise. At just six years old, she made French books out of post-it notes, “She sold those bad boys for $5 apiece to tourists,” said her mom, Ambyr Cooper. “She loves money. Always has.” Roya gets her hard-working nature from her parents. They run several businesses, including the Brudenell Riding Stables next door. “(We’re) super proud,” said Carson Cooper, her dad. “She’s so good at doing everything,” added her mom. “It’s a way harder job than you think it is.” Scoop work can be sticky. Roya says chipping into the tubs takes muscle, and she often finds herself managing staff years older than she is. Her last employee threw in the towel. “Too much cleaning for her,” the young owner said. “Some are like, ‘I don’t really need to do this because I don’t need to listen to you,’ but others actually respect me.” So for now, she’s working seven days a week, until she finds a replacement – or school starts. Most customers leave happy. “I love the ice cream. And the chocolate, of course, is my favourite,” one patron said. Still, Roya has learned she can’t please everyone. “Some are like, this ice-cream scoop isn’t so big. You have to redo it.” Her latest creation is nacho ice cream, a big scoop topped with sprinkles, sauce and waffle chips. But Roya’s favourite flavour is peanut butter fudge crunch. After closing up, she goes home and handcrafts earrings shaped like mini ice-cream cones. She packages the accessories, then sells them from a small display outside, adding another revenue stream to her store. She says she wants to serve many more sundaes in the years to come, and her dream is for the business to grow with her.
