'We look at it as a blessing': Prince George's Ice Cream Express officially opens their new home

Things really can happen for a reason.

Today (July 3), Ice Cream Express officially started dishing out ice cream at their new forever home located on Westwood Drive.

But the move wasn't a smooth transition after the iconic stand almost had to shut down earlier this spring.  

On April 8, the Ice Cream Express announced they would have to close their ice cream stand on Cowart Road due to Rona needing the land they were currently sitting on.

"There are not enough words right now as the stand is our livelihood unless we can find another place to park,” read a Facebook post.

Colton Fawcett, a family friend, a GoFundMe campaign along with the Bergmans' son Russell, to raise awareness and funds to help support the stand as they tried to find a new home for their business.

“When I first met the Bergmans they were nothing but extremely nice to me and welcomed me into their life as a part of their family and I feel like I owe them this after everything they have done for me and the Prince George community,” Fawcett says. 

But then on April 12, an announcement appeared on their Facebook page saying they had found "a forever home."

Another announcement followed near the end of the month, with Ken and Leona Bergman announcing they would be located at the Strike Bowling Centre.

Now, they've planted roots at their new home. 

"We've had amazing support," Leona Bergman tells PrinceGeorgeMatters. "It's been overwhelming, shocking and we're just so touched. We didn't realize how much people cared about it and people made a lot of memories. Now we're hoping they'll make new ones."

The couple had been at the Cowart Road location for 11 years and when they got the notice they needed to vacate their longtime home, it was not easy for them to accept.

"It was tough, we cried, I cried," Leona adds. "There were so many messages and I just couldn't, it was too much. I was so heartbroken and to hear all of these stories from people and we'll miss you guys and we're really sorry."  

She says Ken came home after being notified and thought the ice cream stand was done after more than a decade in the community, which crushed them both.

There were also memories to last a lifetime along with serving more than 40 flavours of ice cream to Prince George, which made it harder on the couple to have to notify the community of the closure and possible ending of the business as a whole.

"Before we closed, a few times, young couples in wedding dresses, the bride and groom and the whole wedding party would come for ice cream," she says. "And I guess that was their first date when they met. Stuff like that. We hear a lot of stories about grandmas and grandpas coming with their kids or kids when they came with their grandparents and then suddenly their bringing their kids and parents and making memories. We look at it as a blessing, it really is a blessing."

Many stepped up and offered the Bergmans a new home at numerous locations throughout Prince George, but Ken and Leona wanted to find a forever home, in which they found on Westwood Drive.

The new location will have another employee working, as well as Leona and Ken, which will help take the full load off of their plates. 

Another perk of their new home is they are now able to be open during the winter and not just the spring and summer months. 

There will be an official grand opening celebration in the coming weeks to celebrate not only finding a new space, but Ken and Leona want to give back to the community that came together for them when things seemed impossible. 

"Without the community, we wouldn't be here," Leona says.

Ice Cream Express will be open every day from 1 to 9:30 p.m.