PEABODY — With their new ice cream store scheduled to open Friday on Lynn Street, Joseph Rock and Pamela Hernandez are eager to explain why they named the sweet shop Double Trouble.
The name is a reference to their two sets of twins: Jayce and Jaxson, 3, and Jasper and Amelia, 8 months.
Rock and Hernandez, who moved to Swampscott in November, have been together since their freshman year at Lynn Classical High School, and Rock has been interested in business since a young age when he approached selling sneakers as a hobby before turning the pastime into a business venture.
He was able to save enough with the money he made selling sneakers to put a down payment on his first house.
“We did a bit of real estate, we bought and sold a couple of houses doing rental units. We sold one recently, so that’s how we got the money to buy the property on 160 Lynn St.” said Rock. “We both wanted to be our own bosses. We have four kids so it can be pretty hard to work a regular job and still take care of the kids.”
Rock said they purchased the property in February for $125,000 with proceeds from their other business. The couple also owns Rock and Sons Property Management LLC, which is based in Lynn.
Rock and Hernandez work well together as a team. The couple plays their strengths to their advantage, making the responsibilities fair and balanced. Although Hernandez is unquestionably the boss when it comes to the Double Trouble Ice Cream and Café.
“I handle the money but she takes care of everything else,” he said.
Hernandez has always worked in customer service, and she loves working with people and always tries to put a smile on their faces.
“She would take the shirt off her back for the customer. That’s just how she is with family, friends and anybody else,” Rock said.
Double Trouble Ice Cream and Café is the latest addition to a list of Peabody ice cream spots that includes Treadwell’s Ice Cream, Something Sweet, Scoops N More, Dairy Witch Ice Cream and Luigi’s — Breakfast, Lunch, Ice Cream.
Residents may find an ice cream business a familiar sight in the location — before Double Trouble, the previous owners ran Louie’s Lix.
The path to running the Double Trouble Ice Cream and Cafe has not been easy for the young couple. Hernandez was hospitalized for five months during her first pregnancy, where she almost lost Jaxson. He was born weighing 1 pound 14 ounces. Luckily both twins survived, and Hernandez did not face complications with her second pregnancy.
“To go through what she’s been through with the pregnancy and to still be as strong as she is incredible,” Rock said.
The couple hopes that one day if the business is a success they can pass it on to their children.
“If anything ever happened to us it we would love to leave this behind for them so they can get a nice head start in life,” said Hernandez.
Before choosing to buy the property on 160 Lynn St. the couple did research to see who their potential clientele would be.
There is an elementary school and a church just steps away and the area is bustling — Rock and Hernandez want to cater to the children in the area. They see much of their potential customer base as families with young children.
For the grand opening Double Trouble Ice Cream and Café will be raffling a “Cat Car,” a motorized car for kids 3 and older.
“We wanted to do something to incorporate the kids and kids love ice cream,” Rock said.
“It’s for the kids mostly.”
Rock and Hernandez hope to add indoor barstool seating to the building. There is currently outdoor seating. The main focus for the couple in the immediate future is getting the business up and running using social media and word of mouth to spread the word.
Despite their demanding workload they still find time for their hobbies. Hernandez has a talent for makeup and hopes one day to open her own beauty salon. She also has her sights set on becoming a nurse. Rock would like to expand his sneaker business into a line of streetwear.
The couple brush off suggestions that they are too young and are taking on too much by starting a business.
“I want to show that it is possible to have four kids and be successful,” said Hernandez. “When people doubt us, I don’t frown upon it because I know at the end of the day I’m going to be successful with anything I do.”
“If you don’t take a chance and actually go for something you want you’re never going to get it,” added Rock.
