​Tyler, Lockwood serve up many flavors to the community with Main Street Sweets

by Michael Smith, Grain Valley News
 
 
The idea started out as a joke for Grain Valley residents Lauren Tyler and Samantha Lockwood.
 
Lockwood sent a text to a group of her friends, including Tyler that she wanted to open an ice cream shop on Main Street in Grain Valley.
 
She was expecting a different response, but Tyler talked her into putting the idea into motion.
 
“The landlord posted it up for rent,” Lockwood said of the section of the strip mall located at 201 N. Main St. “I sent a group text to some of our friends and asked them to talk me out of this. And (Lauren Tyler) said, ‘Why not? Let’s do it.’”
 
The idea was no laughing matter. Lauren Tyler along with her husband Jason and Lockwood opened Main Street Sweets Tuesday and are now serving ice cream to the local community.
 
“We wanted a local spot for kids and families to hang out on hot days,” Tyler said.
 
Added Lockwood: “There weren’t a lot of places for teenagers in the area to hang out at besides some coffee shops. This gives them a place where they can hang out and get a sweet treat.”
 
There were a pair of Grain Valley residents who planned on opening their own ice cream shop at the same location back in 2024, but it never came to fruition. There were freezers inside the building and the landlord agreed to let the Tylers and Lockwood use them for their business as long as they paid a year of rent in advance.
 
It was an opportunity the trio couldn’t pass up.
 
“People around the community were asking when they were going to open the ice cream shop and it never did,” Lockwood said. “I knew it was something people wanted, so why not give it a shot?’”
 
Tyler and Lockwood got to work on launching their business idea in mid-December and hoped to open it some time in March or April. That did not happen as they were new to opening a food business, so it was a process for them to get that section of the building ready and approved by the Jackson County health department.
 
Tyler said they had to excavate the floor and had to have plumbing installed for the sinks and other areas of their section of the building.
 
“The construction took the longest, we had to coordinate with the contractor’s schedules and our schedules,” Tyler said. “There was a little mix up to find out if the health department needed to clear us before we broke ground.”
 
Added Lockwood: “Once everyone got on the same page. It went pretty quick.”
 
Construction on their business was completed three weeks ago and that’s when the trio started ordering supplies and food they needed to run the business. They also started promoting Main Street Sweets on Facebook and Instagram in late June, which helped get the word out about it.
 
The Tylers and Lockwood purchase their ice cream supplies from a local business called One More Scoop, which is located on Vivion Road in Kansas City and is owned by Ian Allison. Tyler came up with the pink ice cream shaped sign inside the building as she also runs her own crafting business.
 
Since Tuesday, Lockwood and Lauren Tyler have run the store themselves, and Lockwood’s 13-year old son, Mason, also helps out with serving customers.
 
They offer more than 50 different flavors of ice cream, which includes some of their most popular ones like rainbow cake, lavender honey and gooey butter cake. They also offer soda, water, chips and ice cream sandwiches and candy bars.
 
Some of the store's specialties include ice cream nachos and banana splits. And they even offer flights of ice cream.
 
“Some people say, ‘There are so many flavors. I can’t choose,’” Tyler said. “Then we suggest a flight and they can get samples of what they want to try.”
 
Tyler and Lockwood said they plan on having the business open year-round and through three days, business has been booming.
 
“Business has been great so far,” Tyler said. “We have had awesome reviews from the community. The community has been supportive, and they absolutely love it. We are very appreciative.”
 
Main Street Sweets is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon until 9 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 7 p.m. Tyler and Lockwood can be reached during business hours by phone at 816-355-0080 or by email at [email protected]. You can also visit their Facebook page here.
 
 
 

Lauren Tyler, left, and Samantha Lockwood opened up a new ice cream shop Tuesday in Grain Valley called Main Street Sweets, which offers more than 50 different flavors of ice cream. Photo credit: Michael Smith