UTICA’S NEW ONE-STOP SHOP

The Bickerman Building features ice cream, craft beer, coffee, lodging and family fun

Story by Stephanie Jaquins, Photos by Scott Anderson and provided by The Bickerman Building

hen Jen and Matt Cetwinski

Wdecided to undertake an old building in downtown Utica, they wanted to make it a space everyone can enjoy — young and old.

Last fall, the Utica couple purchased the two-story Italianate building known as “The Bickerman Building,” 166 Mill St. It is most remembered as the home to the Bickerman familyowned hardware store.

Completed in the late 1800s, the structure underwent a major rehabilitation after being purchased by Frances Bickerman in the 1950s. Reportedly, the space was filled with pigeons, and they removed 60 truckloads of plaster and bird manure.

Frances retired from the hardware store in 1993, but the building stayed with the family until the Cetwinskis purchased it. They were attracted to the building’s exterior stonework, the location in downtown Utica and proximity to Starved Rock State Park, and its potential as a gathering space.

ABOVE Jen and Matt Cetwinski (left) stand behind the ice cream counter at Bruce & Ollie’s inside the newly renovated Bickerman Building in Utica. The ice cream parlor is open to both walk-in and drive-thru customers. The shop also offers an espresso bar and grab-and-go meal items.

BELOW The second story of the Bickerman Building hosts two Airbnb lofted condos.

Matt Cetwinski, a carpenter and owner of Cetwinski Construction Co., worked over the winter, renovating the two floors. (Don’t worry — no pigeon infestation this time.) They kept the stone walls and beams from the original structure and renovated the rest.

They opened the main floor, home to Bruce & Ollie’s, in the spring. The business is named after Bruce, the family’s Yorkie Shih Tzu, and Ollie, a Shih Tzu Maltese. Their daughter, Olivia, and her friend drew the business logo of the two dogs.

Bruce & Ollie’s features an ice cream parlor serving Mount Prospect-based Capannari Ice Cream, which Cetwinski says they sought out after a friend’s recommendation.

“They came and met us, we tried the ice cream, it was fantastic and the rest is history,” she says. Without hesitation, Cetwinski claims Mediterranean Sea salt caramel with chocolatecovered pretzels as her favorite dish. They offer many flavors and ice cream specials.

Bruce & Ollie’s also features a full espresso bar with coffee by Starved Rock Coffee Company, a local roaster. In the refrigerated cases, visitors will find craft sodas, craft beer and seltzers. August Hill wine also can be purchased.

Grab-and-go deli items are available, offering homemade sandwiches, salads and fruit and veggie cups.

Bruce & Ollie’s business model is similar to a place they visited in Madison, Wisconsin. “We just loved the concept. It has pizza, it has alcohol, it has ice cream, it has coffee,” she says. “We just loved the whole one-stop shop for a family. We thought how cool would this be in Utica.”

Kids will find a giant Connect 4 game outside and kids books, puzzles and board games inside. The goal was to be family-friendly, and the feedback so far shows they have hit their mark.

“People are so happy to have a place everybody can go,” Cetwinski says. “Everybody loves the games. It’s something to do.”

For the fall, Cetwinski hopes to open the rear patio, which features a fire pit, and offer seasonal ice cream and coffee specials. She also hopes to expand the deli and craft beer offerings.

The upstairs of The Bickerman hosts two Airbnb spaces. The pair of lofted condos each have one bedroom and 1 1/2 baths.

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