The Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce had a ribbon-cutting for Social Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop on Tuesday, June 27. It’s located in The Village at Winona at 904 Park Ave., Winona Lake. From left: Front — Chamber President and CEO Rob Parker; owner Carrie Bianchini’s mother Tonya Fawcett; Chamber Board Member David Phelps; Chamber Ambassador Angie Harris; Social employees Avery Sleeth and Kennedy Wiedeman; Social owners Carrie and Shawn Bianchini; Social employees Abi Marsh and Olivia Starkweather; and Chamber Member Relations Manager Scott Wiley; back — Chamber Board Member and Carrie Bianchini’s father Dr. Jeff Fawcett; Chamber Ambassadors Morgan Bruner, Matthew Bochard, Chad Hummel, Krysta Miller, and Shawn Brown; Social employee Lucas Williamson; and Chamber Ambassador Tracy Speigle.

Text and Photos
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WINONA LAKE — Carrie Bianchini said she and husband Shawn Bianchini want their business, Social Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop, to be “a space for people to engage with each other.”

The Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce had a ribbon-cutting for Social on Tuesday, June 27. It’s located at 904 Park Avenue, Winona Lake, in The Village at Winona.

It opened on May 9.

The Bianchinis of Warsaw shared why they opted to take over the former Kelainey’s ice cream shop’s lease.

“When this opportunity opened up, we just thought, ‘Hey, ice cream sounds great.’ It fits in with some of our brands,” said Carrie. “We love the opportunity to be down here in The Village at Winona.”

“We wanted to do a fresh business, a brand new start, and we named it Social so that it was a place for people to come and socialize and connect with friends,” said Shawn.

“We like creating spaces for people to come and connect as a community, and so it just seemed to fit that pretty well,” added Carrie.

Social operates under the couple’s Shawnanigans LLC, which also includes its Shawnanigans food truck and catering, Barkside dog treats and pupcakes and Apothecarrie’s spices, sauces and jams.

Some of the items from Shawnanigans and Apothecarrie’s have made their way onto Social’s menu, such as the bison chili and mac and cheese.

Social has salads and soups, with grilled sandwiches to be available soon. There are gluten- and dairy-free options, with the latter including ice cream.

“We just encourage people to let us know if they have allergies. We try to do our best so that people can then feel comfortable,” said Carrie.

A change the couple made to the building is opening up its top floor, with extra seating in the Sunrise Room.

“There’s no music up there, so we kind of encourage quiet conversation or bring your laptop and do homework. We have Wi-Fi throughout the whole building and the porch,” said Carrie.

There’s also an upstairs conference room which may be rented which seats 12.

Shawn cited the couple’s business motto of “engaging people, embracing life and eating well.”

“In that order specifically, so people are always first, so (we want Social to be) a place for people to engage with one another and we hope that they get good service and good quality food every time they come in,” said Carrie.

The couple also said another one of their mottos is “collaboration over competition.” They’re working with other businesses in The Village where people can get free ice cream if they purchase from them.

Hours for Social are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the summer season, with the Bianchinis to adjust their hours later.

People should check the company’s website shawnanigansllc.com and social media for hours of operation changes.

Due to Social opening up, ice cream may now be ordered through Shawnanigans’ catering. To order catering, people should email [email protected] or message the business’ Facebook page.

Social’s decor includes a neon sign and sprinkles.

A look at the main seating area.

A view of Social’s checkout counter.

Social’s upstairs Sunrise Room includes more seating.

Social has an upstairs conference room that seats 12.