Help Sideshow Gelato Save the Show!

PLEASE READ UPDATE AT THE END:

In 2023, with the help of magician Penn Jillette, we attempted to open one of the most unusual gelato shops ever. It is an amazing gelato shop featuring dairy and vegan gelato made to the Italian standards in house. A performance venue and dime museum featuring strange and unusual objects and featuring the best in sideshow performances from around the world. Sword swallowers, fire eaters and magicians, doing what they do best.

Since then we have faced several setbacks. Due to the social climate, customers have not been spending and we have not been able to meet our numbers. Cost of goods and inflation have hit us hard. We have had issues with the City of Chicago ranging from push from the city for us to change our licensing at a cost of $10k to construction tearing up the street in front of our shop, eliminating our parking and preventing easy access to the shop. It's been a perfect storm of unforeseen problems.

NOW we risk closing our doors for good at the end of December.

If you have been to our shop you know that not only do we make great gelato but we present the best performers carrying on the tradition of the carnival and circus arts. If you are a fan of the sideshow arts or a performer you know our passion for the sideshow as well as the love and care we put into each presentation and how well we try to treat our guest performers. Now we really need your help.

Your donation will do one of two things for us. It will either help us raise capital to give us a fighting chance, which we really need. However, should we close the doors, your help will still aid us in wrapping up loose ends and helping us get our amazing gelato to store shelves.

Please help us save the show.

UPDATE:

We are trying really hard to either save the shop or raise money to move Sideshow Gelato out of brick and mortar to the supermarket shelves.

When we originally tried to launch the Kickstarter we were in a better place and more optimistic about the future. We, unfortunately, had to come to the conclusions we did and stop the Kickstarter campaign. HOWEVER some of the rewards have generously been left to use here.

SO WITH A DONATION OF $50 OR MORE you will be automatically eligible for a drawing to win one of these items:

VIP Tickets to see PENN & TELLER in Las Vegas at the Penn & Teller Theater in the Rio including a meet and greet. Dates are flexible to their show schedule.

HEY SCOOPS! ULTIMATE Ice Cream Social!

If you are a listener of the podcast ICE CREAM SOCIAL then you just might be a SCOOP (not a cult). Matt and the Scoops have been amazingly supportive and Matt is tossing in this cool package for one lucky Scoop. Here is what Matt Donnelly has to say: "Listeners of Matt and Mattingly’s Ice Cream Social know about the almost annual gathering of the greatest, nicest and most fun welcoming people on earth. Three nights and two days or hilarious fun live podcasts, Trivia battles, comedy and variety shows at The Orleans Casino in Las Vegas September 25th thru the 27th. Plus, a drink from Matt, Paul and Jacob for each night of Scoopfest- 9 drinks each for the festival that you have to treat yourselves or other friends attending.

SIGNED PENN JILLETTE RUBBER BOY poster.

Penn Jillette as Rubber Boy in a design from an early t-shirt. Penn signed this on the plexiglass of the poster frame. Hung in Sideshow Gelato by the Wall of Fame.

WORLD’S STRONGEST BIRD

From our Museum of the Transmundane, the World’s Strongest Bird display with signage. One of a kind with hand painted sign by great sideshow banner artist Kilbuck Norman.

ALIVE BULLET SIGN

Beautifully hand painted wooden sign with classic Fred G. Johnson style bullet.

SIDESHOW GELATO T-SHIRTS

Several designs left in varied sizes.

We will hold the drawing on Monday December 30th at our last big show of the year and possibly ever. We will contact the winner through the “Thank You” function of GoFundMe.

All donations made before this listing are eligible. Deadline for entry will be Sunday December 29th.