In a historic Uptown Butte building, siblings collaborate to create an ice cream shop

Butte, Montana – Beginning in 1907 with a mortuary, a historic Butte structure on Montana Street has undergone numerous ownership changes over the past century.

It was home to a social club in the middle of the 20th century. The building is currently being given new life by the owners thanks to a boutique and ice cream parlor.

“We have such a beautiful city. We have all the beautiful buildings in Uptown and for us, our passion is to just make Butte beautiful and have small businesses everywhere and support small businesses,” says Missy Stearns, co-owner of Drizzle Sips and Scoops.

Stearns collaborated with her brother Josh Stearns to rehabilitate the dilapidated structure.

The Stearns family decided to repair the structure after seeing old photos of it when it was a funeral house.

“We saw some potential for how it originally looked and we wanted to bring it back. It was just a beautiful building and that was our goal,” Josh Stearns, co-owner of Drizzle Sips and Scoops.

Stearns claims that although updating the area and bringing in new elements to harmonize with the ice cream and coffee business, they also retained the original trim, brick facade, and hardwood flooring.

But starting the family business wasn’t just motivated by preserving the historic structure.

“We have this beautiful building that we renovated and, for us, we want to see places that we want to go to in Butte and ice cream makes people happy so I think it’s a perfect business,” says Missy Stearns.

Along with freshly baked goods, the new small business offers Uptown Butte residents locally crafted ice cream, teas, and coffee that are all roasted in Montana.

“That’s one of our main missions: to support local. Local supporting local, small supporting small,” says Drizzle co-owner Jubilee Stearns.

The Paper Cranes store that the family founded in Uptown Butte last year shares the same location as this ice cream parlor.