Kilwin's of St. Joseph opened April 1, 1998 and is owned by Janet and Phil Dykstra. The decision to buy the franchise was made after tasting the ice cream at Kilwin's of Hilton Head, SC. "It was the most delicious chocolate ice cream I had ever eaten," Janet said. She and Phil met with franchise president Don McCarty the following week and were impressed with the family-oriented values of the franchise company and decided operating a Kilwin's was for them. The shoppe is located at 217 State Street in the middle of the business district. Janet says her favorite part of the business is talking with her customers and seeing their enjoyment as they eat something wonderful at Kilwin's - chocolates, fudge and ice cream. Watching customers' eyes light up as they see the beautiful hand-crafted 2 1/2 ft. carousel and listen to the band-organ music it plays adds to the fun.