CALEDONIA - When the former Color Arts imploded and Sunny Chong's press operator job vanished, she knew just what she wanted to do.

After 17 years at Color Arts, Chong wanted to open a coffee shop like the ones that are ubiquitous in her native South Korea. Five years later, she's achieved her dream, and Caledonia has Skoops ice cream and coffee shop.

The building, at 6111 Douglas Ave., was perfect for several reasons. First, Chong's boyfriend, Ken White, owns it, and Chong thought it would be perfect for her plans. "I said, 'Why not let me have this place?'" she told him.

Chong wanted a place that looked like a 1950s soda shop, which matches the building's actual age. "A modern type wouldn't have fit the building," White said.

A contractor gave a $160,000 estimate for the renovations. But White, who oversees a maintenance crew at Bucyrus in Milwaukee, has a handyman's skills. He set about gradually converting a former chiropractic office, on a strictly pay-as-you-go basis.

As White gave the remodeled shop new, bright, cheerful colors, there was another good fit: He had long been collecting old advertising signs and had plenty from the 1950s to adorn the shop's walls. Thus, there are genuine period ad signs for companies and products including Chevrolet, Jacobsen power mowers, Mule Hide Roofs and Radio Guide - a predecessor magazine to TV Guide, with a very young Jack Benny on the cover.

Chong wanted the name Scoops, but someone else was using it, so she changed the spelling to Skoops.

To pick an ice cream brand, Chong and White drove around tasting ice cream before picking Uncle Harry's, which is made in Waterford. They picked it partly for the taste, but also because the plant is nearby, and they can quickly replenish supplies in a pinch.

Skoops will have 48 flavors to choose from and 20 on hand at all times. On a recent visit the flavors included chocolate yogurt, peanut butter cup, Kaluha truffle and blueberry cheesecake.

A 5-ounce single scoop or dish sells for $2.45, a 9-ounce double for $2.95 and a regular-size sundae for $3.45.

Chong bakes and rolls all of her own Keebler waffle cones each morning.

On the java side, Chong and White chose Milwaukee's Boom Brothers Coffee. Her coffee prices by the cup are: $1.40 for 12 ounces, $1.65 for 16 ounces and $1.80 for 20 ounces.

They did something unusual to brew the best coffee possible: They bought a water purifier to supply pristine water for their coffee, tea, soda machine and ice cubes.

That idea came from White, who had grown up on a fish hatchery. "Water is everything," he said.

That's an example of how the couple, both Caledonia residents, said they have tried to go first class with everything that will touch the taste buds. As another example, they whip their own cream - no canned whipped cream - and buy extra-large maraschino cherries for sundaes.

White remarked, "That's the first thing people will taste, the first impression they will have."

Already, customers are passing the word about Skoops to friends, Chong said, adding, "I am so blessed that they're telling everyone."

BREAKOUT:

WHAT: Skoops ice cream and coffee shop

WHERE: 6111 Douglas Ave. About one block north of Sebastian's

HOURS: 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

PHONE: (262) 681-6141