Shoop’s Charcuterie holds grand opening
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LOCK HAVEN -- Owner Ben Shoop and partner Dakota Neff recently hosted a grand opening ribbon cutting outside of their business, Shoop's Charcuterie.
Shoop's Charcuterie, located at 334 E. Main St., near Canal Park, was filled to the brim and then some as locals and officials flocked to the business.
Shoop's mother, Hope Koning, was also at the event and briefly told stories of her son's passion.
"I am extremely proud of not only Ben but Dakota. I always told him to follow his dream, and food has always been his passion," said Koning.
"This journey for us began when we started dating. We decided to take adventures all over Pennsylvania because we only had a short amount of time with our three children. We found a wonderful little cheese shop in Lititz. When I walked inside, it was like 'This is what we want. This is what our town needs.' We're glad to be the ones to be able to give it to you," said Shoop.
Melissa Dally, Manager of Downtown Lock Haven, welcomed everyone to the event and congratulated the pair.
"On behalf of Downtown Lock Haven, I can speak for myself and the entire board, (we are) excited to have their business here. This is something very special they've brought to Downtown Lock Haven. They are wonderful folks with beautiful ideas for our community," said Dally.
Mayor Joel Long spoke next, similarly congratulating the pair for their dedication.
"Thank you for investing in Downtown Lock Haven. Since 2020, Lock Haven has experienced an awful lot of things but this is one of the positive things. People have gotten adventurous and are not afraid to try things and bring new (experiences) to our downtown," said Long.
He noted that the business is a fantastic new venture for Lock Haven and will bring people to the city.
Commissioner Angela Harding spoke as well, echoing everyone's comments of congratulations.
"I know you've been here for a little while and have already seen the impact that you're having... Small business and entrepreneurship is the lifeblood of communities like Lock Haven. The investment you've made not only in time but sacrifice to your family and the support you need to follow your dream and open a small business in Clinton County. That is what is going to help Clinton County grow," said Harding.
"We want to thank all of our friends and family who helped us do all of this," said Shoop. "Chris Darwin helped me with a lot of my business plan. We want to thank Neff Construction for doing the hard work inside, (and) the community. For the small amount of time that we've been open, you guys have been supporting us. It has been really validating in the risk that we took."
Shoop also spoke about the importance of the support from his family he's received.
"(Dakota) has been my partner 50/50. She is the artist behind all the boards you all love. And our children who have put up with dealing with this dream of ours and helped out as much as they can and refused to. We're super excited," said Shoop.
The grand opening included free sodas and ice pops and they will have their regularly offered samples of meats and cheeses.
Shoop's serves up deliciously decorated charcuterie boards for any size, event and occasion -- often using the products of local businesses such as Goot Essa.
The shop is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m.