Hastings Sunrise is getting a new addition to the neighbourhood this summer: located at 2295 East Hastings Street (at Garden), Plain Jane Ice Cream is the new venture from Miki Ellis and Stephen Whiteside, co-owners of Dachi, Elephant, Tall Shadow Bakery and Mucker Next Door. For this sweet new concept, the duo have partnered up with Devon Towler, of Thank You Pizza.

Towler has been dreaming of an ice cream venture for quite some time. As Ellis explains, “Devon’s been talking about doing ice cream for a long while, and somehow, we got all mixed up in it! We thought ice cream would be a great fit for Mucker. Stephen’s been trying to convince me to get a soft serve machine for a while, so when Dev brought it up again at the end of last year, we played it out a bit, and now here we are! Stephen absolutely loves ice cream, so it was a quick conversation, honestly.”

The team began putting the project into action a few months ago, partitioning off the rear third of the Mucker space to make room for Plain Jane. For extra context: Ellis and Whiteside opened their retail shop (Mucker) in November 2021, in the space immediately next door to Dachi, after a dry cleaner vacated the adjoining address. From the get-go, the idea was to use the space to showcase Vancouver-made products that didn’t compromise on design, craftsmanship or environmental impact. This vision has blossomed into a super cool shop filled with quality, thoughtful items; or, as Mucker puts it: “friendly objects that make everyday life better.”

The common thread between Mucker and Dachi is Ellis and Whiteside’s combined genuine desire to connect with the East Vancouver community. At a recent on-site meeting with the partners, plus Towler, to walk through the space and hear about plans for the wee ice cream outfit, it was clear that Plain Jane Ice Cream would fit right in.

When it’s up-and-running, the 200-square-foot in-store ice cream situation will be leaning on two ‘Little Jem‘ machines brought over from New Zealand to pump out tasty – but “not too sweet” – flavours made with a base of Organic Avalon ice cream, mixed with a variety of fresh fruits and other good things. To start, there will be just 4-5 core flavours to choose from, but the team are keen to add fun combinations as things move along. Whatever’s in the mix, they’ll be serving it in waffle cones or cups, for enjoying at the outdoor bistro tables set up in front of Mucker, or in a nice slice of shade under a tree by wandering down the block to Pandora Park.

Although the exact opening date isn’t yet set in stone, we’re expecting it all to come together in just a matter of weeks – which means there should still be plenty of hot and sunny summer days perfect for ice cream eating to take advantage of. When that happens, Plain Jane will be open daily from Noon to 10pm. Stay tuned here, and to Plain Jane’s Instagram feed, for updates and an official opening date announcement.

Plain Jane Ice Cream

Neighbourhood: Hastings Sunrise

2295 East Hastings St.

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