Celebrate National Ice Cream Day with Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation and All Chill!

Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation is celebrating National Ice Cream Day on July 21st with our friends at All Chill Ice Cream! 

All Chill is a hip-hop ice cream shop, frozen treat caterer and cultural institution dedicated to the exploration of hip-hop culture, located in the heart of Leimert Park. 

Roots in Community and Creativity

All Chill co-owner Genelle Brooks-Petty primarily works in architectural design, specializing in equity and land use. A proud fourth-generation Leimert Park resident and mother of two, Brooks-Petty found herself and her children constantly leaving the neighborhood for good ice cream. Brooks-Petty experienced firsthand the 10,000 new units of housing placed in the Crenshaw quarter and an influx of new construction in the Leimert Park neighborhood. 

Brooks-Petty asked herself, “How does this [new construction] change a neighborhood? How can I be a connection point between the old and the new?” 

Brooks-Petty and her husband, Julian Petty, have combined backgrounds in music and fashion, with Petty aggregating an extensive collection of hip-hop memorabilia over the course of 30 years. 

“Music is ubiquitous in our lives. Music is all around,” says Brooks-Petty.

“Music is a lens to learn about experience, especially the Black American experience. All Chill is not only a love letter to Leimert Park, it’s a love letter to Black culture.” 

 The Bumpy Road to a Brick and Mortar

Though All Chill currently operates a successful storefront, the road to a brick and mortar business was anything but easy. Since All Chill makes all of their ice cream in-house, acquiring permits presented a challenge. Originally launching during the pandemic, All Chill took two and a half years to fully open as a physical storefront. In the time period between pandemic and storefront, All Chill operated as a pop-up operation in marketplaces and community organizations, making connections along the way. One of those connections was Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation.

A Warm Partnership with VSEDC and All Chill

Brooks-Petty enrolled in our CEO Series cohort, designed for start-ups and businesses within their first two years to prepare them to operate and scale their business successfully in Los Angeles. The CEO Series is helmed by our Senior Business Coach, Jon Kinnard. Brooks-Petty previously knew Kinnard through his business, Coffee del Mundo. The CEO Series sharpened Brooks-Petty’s pitching skills, helping her condense three years of business history into a concise, minute-long business pitch. Brooks-Petty went on to win the CEO Series pitch competition for her cohort, and another pitch competition soon after. 

Brooks-Petty received bespoke coaching from several VSEDC business coaches, including Aja Beard and Jennifer Laurent. Laurent helms Black Women Vend, a street vendor training program designed to empower Black women entrepreneurs with the skills and resources they need to start and grow their vending businesses. Through Black Women Vend, Brooks-Petty was able to hone her own business and connect with entrepreneurs in similar circumstances. Additionally, Beard helped usher in a new co-packing relationship for Brooks-Petty and facilitated some concession deals for All Chill.

All Chill has since increased revenue, hired more employees, and are positioned to buy their own building.

“I wouldn’t have the gumption to make it this far without the support of the team at Vermont Slauson. I always tell other business owners: entrepreneurship is lonely. If you don’t know where to start and you want a support system, look no further than Vermont Slauson.’”

All Chill’s Community Vision

Currently, Brooks-Petty’s business is operating on a month-to-month lease, which makes operations for the business difficult. Although unnerving, Brooks-Petty and her husband are positioned to move the business if needed. Additionally, the pair have continued to better their business outside of their storefront, pushing for more event and catering work and focusing on wholesale goods. 

In the meantime, All Chill are continuing to take advantage of the time they do have in the place they love the most: Leimert Park.  

“It is important for us to be a beacon of light and to participate in the hub economy that is Leimert Park. Leimert Park is the only walkable Black arts and culture district in Los Angeles,” says Brooks-Petty.

Brooks-Petty is continuing her advocacy for small businesses in Leimert Park and bringing light to entities that are actively working to push small businesses out of operation and out of the Leimert Park community. 

“We will figure out how to stay and operate. You have to be where the people you’re serving are,” says Brooks-Petty. 

National Ice Cream Day Celebration

Visit All Chill on Sunday, July 21st from 5pm-7pm for a National Ice Cream Day celebration! Invite a friend and come CHILL with us for National Ice Cream Day. Try out all of All Chill’s flavors, especially the limited edition flavor produced in collaboration with VSEDC. Plus, the first 10 guests to pull up with a friend will get a scoop on us and there will be a special giveaway prize for one lucky winner! 

All Chill Hip Hop Ice Cream Shop is located at 3415 West 43rd Place, Los Angeles, CA 90008. 

Follow All Chill on Instagram and Facebook: @allchillinc.

The CEO Series that All Chill participated in, was made possible by a generous grant from PNC Bank.