Family First

Bruce and Ollie’s Owner Balances Family and Business

Story and photos by Shannon Serpette

Although she’s an entrepreneur, if you ask Jen Cetwinski, the owner of Bruce and Ollie’s Ice Cream and Coffee in Utica, what her most important role is, she won’t hesitate when answering: “I am always a mom first. Family comes first always.”

The need to put her family first is one of the reasons she became an entrepreneur.

“I always wanted to be at everything (for my kids),” she said.

To be able to show up to all those ball games and other activities, she needed to find a job with a flexible schedule. Owning your own business often gives you flexibility, and the timing was right for Cetwinski to pursue entrepreneurship. With her children getting older, it won’t be long before her youngest is out of the house, chasing his own dreams – a fact that was weighing on Cetwinski’s mind.

See CETWINSKI page 11

Above: Jen Cetwinski owns Bruce and Ollie’s and two Airbnbs on the top floor of the Bickerman Building in Utica.

Want To Be An Entrepreneur?

Bruce and Ollie’s Owner Jen Cetwinski Offers Some Advice

Before she became an entrepreneur, Jen Cetwinski, Bruce and Ollie’s owner, was a teacher. To become a successful entrepreneur, though, she had to dig in and start doing some learning of her own. As she navigates the business world, Cetwinski has learned a few things she’s willing to share with any woman interested in becoming an entrepreneur. Don’t be afraid to ask for help: Women often try to take on too much. “You can’t do it all yourself,” Cetwinski said, adding that pouring from an empty cup doesn’t work. You must hire help to fuel growth: “I was terrified to hire help,” she said. But at some point, you’ll have to hire help if you want time to plan and work toward taking your business to the next level. Make sure your core values are in place: Even when you’re growing a business or empire, you still need to make sure you have balance. Make time for exercise, fun, and your other priorities. “If something isn’t working, you can pivot,” she said.

Jen Cetwinski is an entrepreneur but admits her top priority has always been and will always be her family.

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“I needed to find something that is my own. I needed to start finding my own way. This has given me that,” she said.

Opening Bruce and Ollie’s in May 2021 was a family endeavor right from the start. Jen and her husband, Matt, brainstormed business ideas when they were spending some quality time together one day.

“We bike ride all the time. If we have a day off, that’s what we like to do, especially in the fall,” she said.

One day as they were out, they saw all the traffic, thought they should capitalize on Utica’s great location and heavy tourist industry, and decided the time was right to open another business. They started talking about having a place that offered a lot of their favorites, including coffee, craft beer, and ice cream.

Opening another business would mean expanding their busy schedules. Her husband already had one business to run – Cetwinski Construction, a company they started in 2007.

After ruling out one potential building because of outrageously-priced flood insurance, a friend suggested that Jen and Matt look at the Bickerman Building.

“It had so much character,” she said.

The couple also knew they wanted to have Airbnbs as part of their business plan, and the Bickerman Building would allow for two Airbnbs on the upper level. They bought the Bickerman Building and started working to achieve their dream. The businesses would require the support of the whole family, including Jen and Matt’s children – a 15-year-old son, Riley, and a 19-year-old daughter, Olivia.

“They are both very, very involved. Everybody has to pitch in. The kids have to help with laundry and dishes. My daughter drew the logo one night just for fun,” she said, adding that the store’s mascots are the family’s dogs.

When they opened the doors to Bruce and Ollie’s, they weren’t certain what the reception would be.

“We have been extremely welcomed,” Jen said.

Part of Bruce and Ollie’s appeal is that Jen wanted it to be a welcoming environment for everybody, not just tourists.

“We didn’t want to cater just to outof-towners. We wanted a family-friendly area,” she said. “Locals really seem to enjoy it.”

Jen Cetwinski fell in love with The Bickerman Building, a two-story Italianate building located at 166 Mill Street, when she toured it while looking for a place for her shop. The building has been a big part of Utica’s history. The Bickerman Building was constructed by James Clark in 1874 with the intention of using it as a rental property. He was the owner of a cement company, which he purchased in 1845, and later, he became president of North Utica. The Bickerman Building became home to many businesses in the ensuing years, such as the Post Office, Higby & Briggs Drug Store, a general store, and others. In the early 1900s, it was the location for the Crosiar Restaurant, Bud McCauslin Barber Shop & Pool Hall, and more before sitting vacant from 1946 to 1956. The building found a more permanent tenant when it was bought by Frances Bickerman and went through a major renovation. It served as the home to Bickerman’s Hardware from 1956 to 1993, and the building is still referred to as the Bickerman Building to this day.

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