Here’s the scoop – there’s a new place in town serving up a little joy to the world.

Get Joy Ice Cream and Coffee – which employs individuals with different abilities – is the sweet spot at 3592 Route 378 in Lower Saucon Township that has opened its doors this summer, offering delicious ice cream and coffee with a sprinkling of happiness.

“We’re really happy to be here and give our amazing employees the opportunity to soar. They bring a lot of joy to everyone who steps into the shop,” Sara Heintzelman, who owns the shop with husband Michael Pilato, said July 11 in-between serving Saturday morning customers.

The shop’s mission is to create a welcoming, inclusive space that fosters family connections, encourages community involvement and provides meaningful employment opportunities for individuals of all abilities.

Heintzelman has been a special educator in a variety of roles at Centennial School of Lehigh University for the past 17 years. Centennial is a special education day school that also prepares high quality special education teachers to enter the workforce.

“I saw that a lot of the students didn’t have a place to work – there was no place with the support they need,” Heintzelman said. “We wanted to design a business that gave them the same support as at school.”

“The goal is to give people with different abilities the opportunity to show the community that with support and a positive environment these individuals are very capable.”

Heintzelman said they have designed a training program to match the needs of employees with support from current, aspiring and retired educators.

Employees are known as Joy Makers, individuals with different abilities that receive support from Joy Mentors to learn how to take orders, make ice cream, coffee and tiny pancakes, a future menu item.

Junior Joy Mentors are high school-aged students who are aspiring educators. Joy Mentors are comprised of aspiring, current and retired educators, including teachers, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and college students pursuing education degrees.

Wanting the business to be a happy place, “we landed on ice cream,” Heintzelman said.

The community certainly seems to regard it as their “happy place,” too.

“The community has been very positive and supportive, and the neighbors have been exceptionally welcoming,” Heintzelman said.

Heintzelman went to Penn State’s Ice Cream School, and Pilato went to Coffee School to hone these skills for their new venture.

The shop serves up an array of ice cream flavors, hot and iced coffee and refreshers.

“The waffle cones are a big hit,” Heintzelman said, noting tiny pancakes will be added to the menu in the future. All the iced drinks can be canned to go. The shop also does catering.

In addition to indoor seating, there’s outdoor seating with a play area.

Heintzelman said the shop has 42 employees, with a waiting list of 30 people interested in working there.

Get Joy is a cashless shop, accepting all major credit cards and contactless payments.

The husband and wife team have a wealth of educational experience. Heintzelman holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education from East Stroudsburg University, a master’s in instructional technology from Lehigh, and a Ph.D. in educational sciences from the University of Kentucky.

Pilato earned bachelors of science in elementary education and secondary mathematics and science. He taught mathematics to middle school students for 18 years in public school. Pilato founded Varsity Summer Academy, a STEM-based summer camp for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, in New Jersey in 2015. Building on that success, he recently expanded the program by opening a second active location at Lehigh in 2025.

Get Joy held several soft-opening events in June. The shop held a grand opening July 14 in conjunction with the Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce.

Customers may “get joy” Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

For more information visit https://www.letsgetjoy.com/.