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Paula sits down with Stratton Leopold of Leopold Ice Cream and talks about his love of Savannah and all things ice cream.
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0:00
well hey there friends I'm here today
0:04
with Stratton Leopold you know he's my
0:07
dear friend owns Leopold's ice cream his
0:11
father started the business and his
0:14
older brother yes yes almost a hundred
0:16
years ago y'all Stratton looks good to
0:19
be a hundred day age well I try to so
0:24
tell me what else well we're just so
0:26
excited oh yeah you you're offering ice
0:29
cream around the world we're shipping
0:31
well we're just a total cement ice cream
0:34
you have ever put in your mouth y'all
0:37
no thank you no we have built a Creamery
0:40
so now we're we have been for the last
0:42
several months shipping across the
0:44
country some big customers in Las Vegas
0:47
and California both and what did you say
0:50
about Tom Cruise no we shift we shift
0:53
for Thanksgiving we ship some to London
0:55
he was filming there no yeah well the
0:58
weight got there too we shipped to New
1:00
York and his plane happened to be there
1:02
so oh my goodness if y'all have ever
1:06
seen Stratton and me together you know
1:09
I've told you that
1:11
Savannah lost him for a good long while
1:13
to Hollywood he went on to Hollywood to
1:16
be a big producer especially a lot of
1:20
Tom Cruise's movies well so they became
1:23
friends over the years and I was at
1:25
Paramount for about 12 years
1:27
films here but my love was always
1:29
Savannah and thank goodness yes and
1:31
we're so glad you came back home oh I am
1:34
as well oh the the ice cream shop is
1:37
located on Broughton streets yes it's a
1:41
historic district yes and you can always
1:43
see a line there and you also offer
1:46
wonderful sandwiches I understand yes we
1:48
do I always think about ice cream though
1:50
would I do as well
1:51
all right now where did you build your
1:55
factory we bought a building in Savannah
1:58
on 37th and price streets yeah so it's
2:01
really downtown it is downtown as well
2:03
and we manufacture everything the same
2:06
way small five gallon batches all
2:09
natural ingredients no artificial
2:11
anything
2:12
we said we do it the same way there the
2:14
advantage there I have larger freezers
2:16
yeah so then I can make more ice cream
2:19
your shop downtown you're like us you're
2:22
limited for space yes
2:23
yes it's busy I don't know how big your
2:26
you're the back part of your business is
2:29
but it couldn't be to do not big enough
2:31
yes
2:33
but anyway we're very excited about that
2:34
and the shipping part is going well
2:36
we started making ice cream cakes and
2:38
pies no yes
2:40
you said you should see some they're
2:42
beautifully nice cream beautifully
2:44
decorated no yep and you found a local
2:47
person with that kind of talent we hired
2:49
them yes they're on our staff now oh
2:51
yeah yeah but they you found them here
2:53
yes we did yes I know we're just so
2:57
excited and they're beautiful cakes and
2:58
and it's that's gonna that's right yeah
3:01
how let me ask you this because you know
3:04
I'm only vine and I sell products on a
3:09
Home Shopping Network and I know
3:11
shipping can sometimes be very very
3:14
expensive have you worked it out where
3:17
the shipping can be reasonable for
3:20
somebody that's got a hankering yes we
3:23
do we do today we put enough dry ice in
3:26
it so that lures are cost substantially
3:28
good good because I know shipping really
3:32
affects my sales so when we can offer
3:37
free or reduced shipping you know yeah
3:40
you go up well plus what we do is well
3:44
if you order say four pints of ice cream
3:46
we'll throw in a fifth one free oh
3:48
that's great again as an incentive to
3:54
make people feel like they're really
3:55
getting something and we'll start
3:57
shipping too we make our own caramels
3:59
and fudges and all that will start
4:01
shipping that as well it's fun it's a
4:04
lot of fun cause I know in it great
4:06
really is your business is like mine you
4:09
get immediate gratification yes yes and
4:12
I love that I've always said I'm so glad
4:14
I don't sell life insurance oh you know
4:17
or something like that and these people
4:19
that make a great living the people who
4:21
do that but I love that immediate
4:23
gratification
4:24
I do as well so dad I understand you got
4:28
a catalogue we're putting together
4:31
something we don't have it out yet but
4:32
yes we'll have okay now how will we be
4:35
able to know because I would love to
4:37
have one of those catalogs well right
4:39
now everything's online and so we will
4:42
do it go to you go to Leopold's
4:44
ice-cream calm okay and we have
4:46
everything there and all the shipping
4:49
information everything is there so we're
4:52
working on the shipping of the cakes now
4:54
just figuring out the packaging that
4:56
that we should have it done next week or
4:58
two but it's fun it's great fun oh well
5:02
I'm I'm so happy and I'm so proud of you
5:05
I'm so proud that I can call Savannah
5:08
native who's been so blessed with with
5:15
such a well-rounded life well proud to
5:19
call you friend
5:20
likewise too and I've enjoyed everything
5:24
I've done the movies which is still a
5:25
couple of movies I do want to make but
5:28
it is just so much fun to be back in
5:30
Savannah to be doing this we're so happy
5:35
to have you
5:36
so what else is happening well just a
5:39
couple of films I want to make but right
5:41
now the focus this is mad mad mad mad
5:44
mad no our newest addition max this
5:47
is threatened you can call him mr.
5:49
Stratton it is your paw that's good
5:52
no it's we're focusing now on the
5:55
shipping and the ice cream cakes is our
5:58
focus
5:58
well we've got to take a quick break but
6:01
we'll be right back because I want to
6:03
hear everything okay and it sounds good
6:05
and Max as well I think it's so
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hundred six five nine 3300 that's one
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eight hundred six five nine thirty three
7:09
hundred we're back and go three of us
7:16
are back and occasionally all four yes
7:19
exactly
7:19
all right so Gus if you lay down buddy
7:22
while I talk Stratton please oh gosh I
7:26
could talk to you all day long Stratton
7:28
so tell me your father was in a building
7:32
on Gwinnett Street right that was his
7:35
original location yes and have you owned
7:37
that building all these oh yes since 19
7:40
since before okay so you never sold it
7:42
when you went off to Hollywood okay and
7:45
tell everybody what you're doing to that
7:46
because when people come to town they
7:48
can do two words can of course tours of
7:51
manufacturing as well as what we have
7:53
underwent at wonderful what we're gonna
7:55
do is redo brunette in Havisham as it
7:59
was in the 1940s it was a high school
8:03
hangout so we'll have less really for BC
8:07
primarily but yes it was a hangout so it
8:10
was the malt shop that you expect you
8:12
see in the movies yes so what we're
8:14
going to do there Decker wise is do less
8:16
of the movie things and do more of the
8:19
period high school things in Savannah
8:21
and of course being an inveterate
8:24
packrat I have my letter jacket I have
8:27
all this stuff oh yeah got my Cheerilee
8:29
now bring it over I do it cheer there
8:33
you go it's well that's gonna be
8:36
wonderful be fun don't be like stepping
8:38
back in time exactly at a time when I'm
8:41
America was more innocent innocent
8:44
innocent and you you didn't have to walk
8:48
around being fearful of everything yes
8:51
exactly
8:52
well so um I'm just I can't wait to slip
8:55
back in that time with you well the
8:56
thing about it too we're constantly
8:58
asked clothes for birthday parties or
9:01
adult receptions even yeah and we can't
9:04
do that downtown it's too busy but
9:07
that's wonderful and you won't have to
9:09
close down Habersham Abby Sherman and
9:12
Gwinnett oh okay I didn't realize that
9:15
was on the corner of action okay so you
9:18
won't have to close down you'll have
9:19
enough space yes and it's a second floor
9:22
that will have as well so that's
9:24
wonderful
9:25
so we're very excited that's wonderful
9:26
all right well you mentioned earlier
9:28
there's still a couple of movies yes
9:29
wanna make yes tell me what they are
9:32
well the latest one it's a book I think
9:35
I know in a sanctuary of outcasts it's
9:38
called we talked about one time this is
9:42
a folktale making this is a true story
9:44
happened 22 years ago a man named Neal
9:48
white this one he graduated from Ole
9:50
Miss and he started a magazine there in
9:53
Oxford magazine didn't go well and and
9:56
it failed so he went then down to the to
9:59
the Gulf Coast started a magazine
10:01
they're successful did very well with
10:06
format but New Orleans magazine was
10:08
doing very well the receivables weren't
10:11
coming in as they should and he had to
10:16
do some some banking some creative
10:18
banking well it wasn't it wasn't it
10:21
wasn't kosher so he got caught at that
10:24
the here's that here's where the movie
10:26
starts he was sentenced he was convicted
10:29
of bank fraud he's a wonderful man I've
10:31
no needle now for a little while he was
10:34
sitting a Stella long Oh his youngest
10:38
and getting younger every day that I
10:40
leave me to think about that he was
10:45
sentenced to a minimum security prison
10:47
in Carville Louisiana which was one-half
10:51
minimum security dormitory prison right
10:53
the other
10:54
half still is the United States leper
10:56
colony no one yeah are people in a leper
11:01
Hospital very few left now because the
11:03
drugs are better but when he was there
11:05
20 years ago there were 130 patients No
11:08
and the story is about his change in his
11:12
Redemption as a result of these and of
11:16
these patients did he come in contact
11:19
with these patients he did he wasn't
11:21
supposed to I was gonna say lepers are
11:24
not supposed to be around well anybody
11:26
right that's that's the theory no one
11:28
really knows it contagious the only
11:31
known vector for contagion are
11:33
armadillos I'm not kidding that's the
11:36
only known way yeah do this on armadillo
11:41
no armadillos carry it SiC armadillos
11:43
will carry now yes yes it's a
11:46
little-known fact I'm sure there are
11:48
other other vectors but now since the
11:50
the medicines are getting so much better
11:52
there's not that much research right but
11:54
anyway his life was changed so much he's
11:57
a wonderful man now his life and the
11:59
story is that arc of his life this one
12:03
patient in particular gsella gsella
12:05
balance is her name she's gone now she
12:07
was 80 when he met her 20 years ago I
12:09
went Cicely Tyson I've got talked her
12:11
into playing it because Ella we have
12:14
photographs she had lost her legs she
12:16
had been she had been at a Carville
12:19
since age 12 the sadness of their Pola
12:22
you have prominent families in New
12:25
Orleans who would just discard these
12:26
people you have leprosy change your name
12:28
it's so much sadness there and Neil
12:31
wrote about that just it's the the
12:36
transition that he made from going in
12:40
from this big big magazine he was
12:43
recognized nationally to becoming this
12:45
really nice guy mm-hmm it's just amazing
12:50
that amazing transition so um those
12:54
valleys mmm
12:56
cannot always be bad correct that's
12:59
correct
13:00
in fact I'm due to speak at a high
13:02
school graduation and to the points I
13:05
want to make you know I
13:06
you've heard them with Lewis you're
13:08
about to embark on this bylaw yeah I
13:10
mean tell they can tell the seniors tell
13:12
a graduates think of two things embrace
13:16
change it will happen you you will
13:19
always happen to both of us yes and
13:21
people don't like change would you have
13:23
to embrace it and second thing is
13:24
embrace failure because goodness knows
13:28
it's going to happen somewhere along
13:30
your life and you have to embrace it's
13:35
it's something that that they have to
13:37
think of if you can look back and learn
13:40
from your mistakes that makes them very
13:42
bad and I know that I've learned more
13:50
from my failures than I have from my
13:54
success yes well goodness knows when I
13:59
was at Paramount you-you-you encounter
14:01
that quite a bit so you have to accept
14:03
that move forward and when I'm making a
14:06
movie my goodness that the daily the
14:09
daily challenges when especially on the
14:12
larger pictures are decisions have to be
14:16
made very quickly and sometimes the
14:18
impact is not what you expect right
14:20
there's no one quite like mama every mom
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is unique and we wouldn't want to change
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a thing and with mothers take just
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so make sure to order now you're such a
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wise man oh not only does he make great
15:44
ice cream y'all he's smart - he looks
15:48
good he smells good dad gummit people
15:50
liking people love you and I love you
15:56
stretch well I'm so happy for you and
16:00
all your success and the fact that
16:02
you're back home with us and I can't
16:03
wait to visit the Quinet Habersham wait
16:10
so how close are you to getting that
16:12
movie made well people don't know that
16:16
there's lepers no here behind doors so
16:20
hopefully you'll get that may yes well
16:22
I'm going to Mississippi tomorrow
16:24
actually just yeah to talk to some
16:28
attorneys there who would like to get
16:30
involved with it good well thanks so
16:32
much I know you're a busy busy man and
16:34
for you to take time out to come visit
16:37
with my friends we appreciate thank you
16:39
I love you to death darling likewise and
16:43
don't forget the chocolate show we did
16:50
he call my bluff Thanks so if y'all are
16:59
planning a visit of friends to Savannah
17:01
there's a couple of things that you have
17:03
to do and one of those you must be as it
17:07
my grandson's favorite ice cream shop
17:09
Leopold's ice cream it's on Broughton
17:12
Street and there's a good chance you'll
17:14
see this salt and pepper good-looking
17:17
man standing behind the counter with
17:19
that goofy ice-cream hat on that would
17:21
be Stratton
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