Get To Know Addicted, Lakewood's New Coffee, Ice Cream Shop

LAKEWOOD, OH — In early September, Addicted Coffee and Ice Cream opened at 13743 Madison Ave. For Vince and Jeannie Brunori the opening of the little shop on one of Lakewood's main corridors was the culmination of a lifelong dream.

Jeannie had spent a chunk of her adolescent years working in coffee shops throughout California. The smell of beans and pastries must have lingered in her memory because she never let go of the idea of opening her own coffee shop.

Vince, her husband, said the couple have opened other businesses together but had never committed to the coffee shop. Then a spot came open on Madison and everything seemed to line up. (Subscribe to the Patch Lakewood newsletter for local news and updates.)

"Our kids grew up in Lakewood. They’re in college now," Vince told Patch. "There isn’t really anything out there like an ice cream, coffee shop that kids can go to after school."

That's one of the key features of Addicted. It's geared to kids, teenagers and families. The Brunori's offer treats like Dragon's Breath, a series of snacks infused with liquid nitrogen. When a customer bites into, say, a cereal snack bar with the infused liquid nitrogen, it causes a fun reaction where "smoke" puffs out of the eater's mouth or nose.

They offer a concoction composed of a waffle cone, with a chocolate coated interior, ice cream, espresso, chocolate covered coffee beans and whip cream and caramel drizzle. It's called the perfect addiction, or perfetta dipendenza. Vince said it's Addicted's signature creation.

To encourage their target clientele to come in, Addicted also offers low prices on all its products. For example, extra scoops of ice cream are $1 each. Vince said families will come in and spend $12 and all get ice cream and a drink.

"We want to give back to the community," Vince said. He noted Addicted is looking for non-profits and other groups in Lakewood they can partner with. The company is already partnering with groups like LakewoodAlive.

"We thought our business would be a good fit for the city," Vince said. "Our kids were always looking for stuff to do. You can only go to the park so much. You can meet friends here, you can hang out after school."

Photos from Rick Uldricks, Patch