Katie Heldstab and Christa Puskarich jumped into Pittsburgh’s frozen treat scene in 2013 with the launch of Leona’s Ice Cream.

The duo quickly earned praise for their lactose-free ice creams — Heldstab is intolerant to the sugar compound — and whimsical sandwiches built around a broad range of flavors they developed.

Over the next decade, they placed their products in dozens of outlets, from grocery stores and restaurants to breweries and even candle shops. Now, they’ve opened a standalone scoop shop on Penn Avenue in Garfield, a move that expands their business and brings new treats not available through wholesale.

Heldstab says rising ingredient costs and economic shifts made wholesale margins “almost impossible to make a living and to pay our people a fair wage,” prompting them to pi

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