Susan Warrell was well down the road to building her dream business—an ice cream shop envisioned as a gathering place for her beloved community—when suddenly the funding she was counting on melted away.
The Kentucky entrepreneur and small business owner was poised to bring years of blood, sweat and tears into a permanent, brick-and-mortar home. That is, until her carefully laid plans began to unravel.
Having received preliminary loan approval, Susan signed a lease for Meltdown Ice Cream’s permanent home and began an extensive build-out. Then, after a second review, the approval was rescinded when the project was deemed too risky by the traditional lender.
Susan was in a very tight spot.
A setback like this would be the undoing of many, but for Susan it became just another chapter in her lifelong story of persistence, creativity, and belief in a dream that had already survived more than most entrepreneurs ever face.
Today, Meltdown Ice Cream is a thriving fixture in historic downtown Bowling Green, serving not only residents of the city and Warren County but also folks visiting south-central Kentucky from across the country.
A small business loan and business development assistance from Community Ventures helped Susan open Meltdown Ice Cream’s storefront in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 2022. In 2026, its Ooey Gooey Mooey ice cream earned Overall Best of Show at the Kentucky State Fair—the cherry on top.
The Long Road to a Bustling Business
Susan’s entrepreneurial journey began long before Meltdown Ice Cream became an idea, let alone a storefront.
Born in Lexington and raised in Louisville, Susan attended Eastern Kentucky University. She studied music education and spent years playing violin before realizing her entrepreneurial interests were leading her down a different path. She switched to business courses and earned a degree in business administration, knowing one thing for certain: someday she would build a business from the ground up.
At that point, she just didn’t know what that business might be.
Nearly 20 years ago, after marrying her husband and settling in Bowling Green, Susan traded musical instruments for photography equipment and went to work turning a creative passion into a profession.
A friend and vendor at the Community Farmers’ Market invited her to participate as a seller of photography and art. Around that same time, a visit to an ice cream shop known for unusual flavors sparked an idea.
As Susan manned her photography booth at the market, she couldn’t help but notice all the produce surrounding her. She began wondering what kinds of ice cream could be created using fresh, local ingredients grown by her friends and neighbors.
On a whim, she began teaching herself how to make ice cream, and what started as a hobby quickly became an obsession.
"I fell in love with the science of it," Susan said. "It was creative in the same way photography had been creative for me. You have a vision in your head, but you still have to follow a process and trust that you'll end up where you want to go."
Captivated, Susan experimented with recipes, developed her own ice cream base, and explored unique flavors inspired by regional fruits, herbs, and seasonal ingredients. Before long, she was making more ice cream than her family could possibly eat, so she began sharing it with friends at the market.
Immediately, everyone who sampled it encouraged Susan to start selling it, so she added ice cream to her photography at market events. Then a funny thing happened: The ice cream sold out. The artwork didn't.
“It didn’t take long to learn what my customers wanted,” Susan laughed. “I sold out of ice cream regularly while my artwork remained largely unsold.
“For approximately four and a half years, I sold exclusively through Community Farmers’ Market. Later I purchased a food truck and began serving my ice cream at events. I sold pints, half-pints, push pops, ice cream sandwiches, and ice pops, and the business grew.”
Then, just as her business was building momentum, life happened.
A Health Crisis and an Unexpected Pause
In 2015, Susan was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
“I underwent surgery and radiation treatment, but I continued pushing forward with the business. Unfortunately, during a three-month follow-up in 2016, doctors discovered that I still had cancer, which led to another surgery. After complications from that procedure, my health declined significantly. Although I tried to continue operating the business, I reached a point where I could barely function.”
Ironically, this happened during what was shaping up to be Meltdown Ice Cream’s strongest year to date. The business had already outgrown its shared commercial kitchen space where Susan often worked through the night to accommodate scheduling conflicts with other users, so she was already considering a facility of her own.
By the end of that year, she made the heart-wrenching decision to push pause on her business to focus on getting healthy. It was a pause that lasted nearly four years.
But rather than viewing the setback as the end of her entrepreneurial journey, Susan stayed connected to the business community she loved while she focused on recovery.
When she was healthy enough to do so, she returned to the Community Farmers’ Market as a volunteer. As she grew stronger, she was brought aboard as assistant manager and then manager.
“I served as market manager during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was an intense experience that required constant adaptation,” Susan recalls. “Because farmers markets were considered essential, we were able to remain open after only a brief closure. We moved operations outdoors and adjusted procedures weekly to comply with changing regulations.”
Somewhere along the line, it dawned on her—if she could manage the market through the stressful time of the pandemic, she was healthy enough to return to her own business, which she loved and missed every single day.
In the fall of 2020, Meltdown Ice Cream made its official comeback.
One or the Other, But Not Both
With the business quickly regaining momentum, Susan knew it was time to get serious about finding a permanent storefront.
As she drove around Bowling Green scouting potential locations in the spring of 2022, one building stood out. Located in historic downtown Bowling Green, it seemed to offer exactly the kind of friendly, community-centered vibe Susan envisioned for the business.
While the building was at that point home to a boutique, Susan learned the tenant was moving out and quickly arranged a tour.
The space just felt right, and the building owners’ vision aligned perfectly with what Susan had pictured—a comfortable neighborhood gathering spot that would bring the town together.
She signed the lease in May 2022 and began planning the extensive commercial kitchen build-out needed to transform the historic building into a functional production facility and fun, customer-friendly ice cream shop.
Obtaining financing was critical. While Susan had enough of her own resources either to purchase the equipment needed to scale the business or to cover the cost of the build-out, she didn’t have enough to do both.
When the bank financing she thought she had obtained fell through after construction had already begun, her back was against the wall.
Bridging the Funding Gap
A local banker who knew of her dilemma and believed in the business suggested Susan contact nonprofit Community Ventures. As a nonprofit provider of small business funding and business education across Kentucky, Community Ventures regularly works with Kentucky entrepreneurs who may not fit neatly inside conventional lending requirements but who have demonstrated strong business potential and commitment.
Community Ventures connected Susan with Miller Slaughter, a seasoned specialist in small business funding and development.
Slaughter and the Community Ventures team worked with Susan to evaluate the opportunity and provide access to financing that would keep her moving forward.
Unlike some lending institutions that focus exclusively on credit scores and numbers, Community Ventures considered Meltdown Ice Cream’s complete picture.
They reviewed the business plan and financial projections, but they also factored in the years Susan had spent building a customer base through the Community Farmers’ Market, her experience operating and pivoting the business, and the commitment she had demonstrated through her significant personal challenges.
Through a combination of Community Ventures' lending programs and business development assistance, Susan received the support she needed to see the project through, open the storefront, and bring her dream to fruition.
Susan’s relationship with Community Ventures continued even after the loan closed. She participated in educational opportunities that included cash flow training and appreciated knowing she had access to ongoing support if future questions should arise.
"Community Ventures saw more than just the numbers," Susan said. "They believed in both the business and in me as an entrepreneur. They still needed to see a solid plan, but they recognized the work I had already put into building the business, and that meant a lot."
Slaughter explained: "Susan had already built a loyal customer base and demonstrated remarkable persistence through years of challenges. Our role was to help her access the resources needed to move forward with the next stage of growth. She had done the hard work. Our team was honored to support her vision."
A Cool Spot to Have a Meltdown
Meltdown Ice Cream’s storefront officially opened on October 14, 2022.
Today, the shop serves not only customers from Bowling Green and other communities across south-central Kentucky but also travelers on their way to destinations like Mammoth Cave National Park, the National Corvette Museum, Lost River Cave and Nashville, Tennessee.
The business serves up classic favorites and is becoming known for its rotating seasonal flavors made from local ingredients.
Customers return time and again for staples like Cookies and Cream, Vanilla, and Frozen Hot Cocoa, but are also intrigued by offerings like Berry Twisted, Stay Gold, Honeysuckle Ice Cream, and Summertime, a sweet corn ice cream with blackberry swirl.
Nearly all of the shop's sauces, cookies, cakes, and mix-ins are made in-house. And because Susan knows that some of her creations are prone to raise eyebrows, visitors are invited to sample before committing to a cup or a cone.
Recently, Susan’s penchant for experimentation and excellence resulted in high-profile recognition in an arena where Kentucky’s finest culinary and agricultural accomplishments are showcased and celebrated—the Kentucky State Fair.
Ooey Gooey Mooey Wins Overall Best of Show at the 2026 Kentucky State Fair
Susan admits that she is more than a little competitive, but concludes that competition leads to valuable insight, so for the second year in a row she took her frozen concoctions north to the Kentucky State Fair.
“We competed for the first time last year. In our family, the State Fair was always a big deal,” Susan recalled. “When I learned that there were professional ice cream categories, I wanted to know how our products would score. Last year we got a red ribbon for our Double Vanilla. We received valuable feedback that we used to make some changes, hoping to make a better product.”
In choosing what to enter this year, Meltdown turned to social media to select its “Any Flavor” fair entry. Followers were split 50/50 between top vote-getters Nana Puddin’ and Ooey Gooey Mooey, so Susan spun a prize wheel she used at events and let fate decide.
Susan’s relentless pursuit of excellence paid off. In 2026, not only did Meltdown Ice Cream bring home the Gold in both ice cream categories—Vanilla and Any Flavor—but her Ooey Gooey Mooey did one better. The blend of sweet cream and homemade gooey butter cake was named Overall Best of Show, eclipsing Gold winners across all dairy categories—milks, sour creams, and a wide variety of cheeses.
Susan sums up the experience like this:
“I’m still processing the judge’s accolades. They commented that our vanilla was about the most perfect body and texture you could ever have for ice cream. That was wonderful to hear after working for years to build this business and perfect our products!
“Word of our big win got out within a couple of days. We had Ooey Gooey Mooey ready to scoop, and our community came out in droves. We sold out of that flavor in under 24 hours!
“My production manager made twice as much the next week. Daily we have people come into the shop, congratulating us and looking for that flavor. The support from not only our community but across the state has been amazing! I’m left with deep gratitude for every kind word and busy day.”
Meltdown Ice Cream Eyes the Future
For Meltdown Ice Cream, there is no resting on its laurels.
“We came back from the fair and I worked till close that night,” Susan says. “We were churning bright and early the next morning. Business as usual. Making small batch ice cream means we’re making and churning every single week.
“We’re gonna keep challenging ourselves, keep being creative, and keep on making award-winning ice cream for our customers!”
As proud as Susan is of her products, she is equally proud that Meltdown Ice Cream has become a workplace where people from diverse backgrounds can learn, grow, and contribute. Over the years, Meltdown Ice Cream’s staff has included students, educators, artists, parents, athletes, future healthcare professionals, and individuals with special needs.
What Susan hopes people see when they walk into Meltdown Ice Cream today are not only creative flavors but also happy employees and a welcoming place to enjoy a sweet treat.
Susan wants to remind other entrepreneurial dreamers that businesses grow through courage, adaptability, and the willingness to keep moving forward even when life throws curveballs. And for those looking to start a business, expand operations, purchase equipment or open a new location, she wants them to know that her experience proves that the right support can help turn challenge into opportunity.
Entrepreneurs or small business owners interested in Kentucky small business loans or business development assistance can contact Community Ventures to learn more. Whether you're just getting started or preparing for your next stage of growth, Community Ventures provides guidance, resources, and access to funding to bring the next great business idea to life.