A Sweet Shack by Way of The Sand Bar
Sounds a little quirky but then that’s who we are. We started with making unique artwork for families on vacation in Florida. Wait! What does that have to do with ice cream? Well, it’s a heartwarming story actually.
After years as a traveling nurse, I left nursing and started a business. Creating an interactive product called, ‘my sandbox’, for families to create unique artwork. While the sandboxes dried, I would send families to the local ice cream shop. They would return so happy, that I eventually decided to expand into the ice cream business myself.
Eventually ‘my sandbox’ closed but I wanted to take part of that experience with me on my new adventure. In February 2017, The Sand Bar Ice Cream Shop opened its doors.
The Sand Bar incorporated my love of the beach with a nod to my sandbox product. It became quite a phenomenon. People from all over the world stopped by and would bring me sand from where they were from.
"PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD STOPPED BY AND WOULD BRING ME SAND"
In 2020, as with many small businesses, COVID changed the way we had to do business. We became a ‘walk up only’ shop. It actually created an atmosphere that was inviting and fun. We would have music, hula hoops, families rocking out in the chairs, and overall having a good time together. With supply chain issues continuing, I did some research. As a result, I made the decision to start making all the ice cream in-store. Thus becoming a small-batch ice cream shop. This gave me the freedom to try new flavors and guarantee ice cream for my customers.
After 6 years on the Florida beaches, I was ready for a change. A customer who frequented The Sand Bar mentioned I might try looking at Branson, Missouri. After a bit of research where I found out the ice cream cone became Missouri’s official dessert in 2008 and with Branson placing third in TripAdvisor’s Top Trending Destinations for 2022, it was a natural fit for my ice cream, Italian ice, boozy ice cream and floats.
Moving to Branson in March 2023, I quickly realized The Sand Bar didn’t really fit the Midwest landlocked location. Although I wanted to keep the fun, quirky, relaxed vibe of the beach, Sweet Shack was born.
Making Good Ice cream ...Great!
On August 23, 2023, Sweet Shack opened to the public. Bringing the beach vibe into the store’s décor with some sand and a variety of painted surfboards throughout the shop. Thereby, creating the shop as a “destination” for families to come to on their vacation and make memories. To me, It’s not just “Here’s your frozen treat”. It’s so much more than that. Sweet Shack is a place where adults can chill for a minute with an adult float and the kids can have fun too.
We were so excited to be located on Historic Downing Street in Hollister (right next to Little Hacienda’s)