“Working In The City” is The San Diego Sun’s feature Q&A series with downtown San Diego business operators. It’s a way to get to know the city by meeting the people who work here. This is the seventh in an ongoing series.
Company: Cali Cream Homemade Ice Cream (425 Market Street, Gaslamp Quarter).
Owner/Manager: Co-founder Ken Schulenburg, aka, “Scoop Dogg.”
What We Do: Cali Cream originated as a homemade ice cream shop where all the ice cream is made in-house every day, offering between 55 and 70 flavors daily (this includes dairy-free and vegan options). Most recently we’ve expanded into a variety of bakery and dessert offerings, coffee and breakfast items.
Motto: “Seven days from cow to cone.”
If your business was made into a movie, it would be called: A few options – Cali Cream Flavor Wars; The Empire Scoops Back; Living the Dream: Adventures of Scoop Dogg and Cone Pup. I’ve been told Ryan Reynolds and I look alike and have a similar personality, so I guess he’d have to play me.
Tenure: My co-founder Juliana Ortiz Schulenburg has lived in San Diego, including downtown, all her life. I’ve been here for 10 years. We currently reside in Leucadia.
Commute: A 35-minute drive with no traffic. We have the traffic patterns down to a schedule.
Why ice cream: The company started in 2016; we’ve been downtown since 2020. After leaving corporate America and moving to San Diego, Juliana and I decided to take some time to enjoy the life and beauty of San Diego. On family nights, we couldn’t find places to go for ice cream. Making ice cream was something I did while growing up at my grandpa’s home in the Boston area. We opened a little homemade ice cream shop in Encinitas and quickly became a huge success, bringing smiles and happy memories to our community and visitors.
Family business: Juliana always wanted to be part of downtown San Diego. Opening in a historic building in the Gaslamp required us to demo the space to the studs and rip out seven layers of flooring to the dirt. The space used to be called the Mint Saloon (probably why we found old whiskey bottles under the floor). We work well together as a family, and we balance each other out with our different strengths and talents. Our children have been involved in the business since the start.
Employees: 50-plus team members.
Best aspects of working downtown: Networking with local residents and businesses, community leaders and meeting people from all over the world.
Worst aspects of working downtown: Parking, keeping the city clean and safe and the short public transportation hours of operations. Laws and regulations are not always business-friendly.
Staffing: It is a challenge, largely due to the lack of parking, public transportation and hours of public transportation. Safety does come up often as a question from candidates, for which we explain the many safety protocols that we have and those of the Gaslamp Safety Team. Due to the strong success of our brand we have been able to attract great talent and are grateful to have them.
Mascot: When we first started I had kids call me “Scoop Dogg.” The name just stuck. I’m not the official mascot; but we have been able to create merchandise with “Scoop Dogg” and “Cone Pup” (an animated version of our pug, Tapatio).
Parking: We need more parking garages but they have to be affordable. And better public transportation. More stops, better hours and better access. If we as a city focused on affordability and accessibility, we would entice more people from surrounding areas to visit downtown.
Most surprising part of working downtown: Some people believe downtown is only for nightlife– but there’s much more than that. The Children’s Museum. The new addition to the Gallagher Square playground. Concerts and events at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. Family friendly activities the Gaslamp Quarter Association holds throughout the year.
Funniest downtown work memory: Usually involving the animals of downtown. We’ve had birds (Macaws), snakes, iguanas, cats, and of course, dogs. We’ve become the local spot for doggie ice cream birthday parties. Groups of dog owners meet up at the shop and the dogs all get puppy cones while owners sing “Happy Birthday.”
Scariest downtown work memory: At one point during the pandemic we were the only business open on the block. It was scary to see such a thriving area so quiet and lifeless. We tried our best to bring joy and normalcy to those that stopped by, but it wasn’t always easy.
Big-event boosts: Our business doesn’t rely on big events, but we do thrive on them. When the Padres win we get an influx of visitors. The various conferences at the convention center and hotels also help.
Homelessness: It certainly doesn’t affect business in a positive way. Unfortunately, it has become a distraction from all the beautiful things our city has to offer.
On a scale of 1 (easiest) to 10 (hardest), how is working with the city: It’s a 10! Extremely hard. The city should have a more collaborative approach with businesses. It appears that many decision makers have never owned or operated a business before. We have been lucky to have the support of the Gaslamp Quarter Association. I would love for decision makers to stop by and not just listen, but implement common sense ideas. We aren’t all big restaurant groups. Some are individual owners who don’t have the big budgets but have a large impact on tourism. Allow businesses to use “Spaces as Places” like it was meant to be used, not just say they’re helping businesses; but actually help businesses.
Celebrity sightings: We get Hollywood actors and TikTok and YouTube influencers. NFL coach/commentator Rex Ryan. Many past and present Padres players come in and our favorite is Jake Cronenworth.
Favorite downtown business that isn’t yours: I have many. One of my top go-to places is Cowboy Star Restaurant & Butcher Shop. Their team is always happy and knowledgeable, the experience is consistent and the food and drinks are always delicious, with great attention to detail.
Best insider tip for running a downtown SD business: Have the right attitude and be open minded. Embrace the culture and different aspects of life and opinions. The city is so eclectic and diverse. Smile and people will smile back. Build partnerships with other businesses and associations so that you can learn through their experiences. SDSun
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