Business Heats Up at Shaved-Ice Stands
Posted on: Wednesday, 21 June 2006, 21:00 CDT
By Marty Primeau, Amarillo Globe-News, Texas
Jun. 21--It's the first day of summer, and Amarillo residents already have griped about the heat for two months.
Not Sasha Reilly.
As owner of two shaved-ice stands, she welcomes the scorching temperatures.
"It's been great," she said. "Business has been really steady."
She and her husband, Jim, bought the Caribbean Ice stand at 4215 S.W. 45th Ave. last spring. They opened a second location at 45th Avenue and Bell Street two weeks ago.
Each day, they sell about 500 cones to young and old alike.
"Even more on weekends," Sasha Riley said.
A Caribbean ice -- not to be confused with a sno-cone -- is produced by a machine that shaves ice to a snow-like consistency. The syrup sticks to the snow and the whole thing can be eaten with a spoon.
While afternoon sales are steady, Reilly said most shaved-ice aficionados come out after 8 p.m., requesting such unusual combinations as Jamaican Me Crazy -- watermelon with a Caribbean twist.
"We let the girls experiment with different combinations," Sasha Reilly said, referring to her staff. Special flavors are dubbed with quirky names and added to the menu.
Opening a sno-cone or shaved-ice business requires a city license and an agreement with a property owner to park a trailer, according to the city of Amarillo's environmental health department.
The annual permit fee is $200.
The major expense is the ice shaving machine. Most commercial models sell for $1,300 or more.
The Reillys order up to 200 pounds of ice a few times a week and store it in a cooler outside their small, air-conditioned trailer. Syrup comes from a variety of sources and costs about $25 a gallon.
Cones are sold by size: an 8-ounce kiddie goes for 65 cents; a 32-ounce jumbo brings $2.50.
"And we have toppings," Reilly said. "Chocolate, caramel, fresh lime juice -- and the most popular -- cream."
-----
To see more of the Amarillo Globe-News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.amarillonet.com.
Copyright (c) 2006, Amarillo Globe-News, Texas
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Source: Amarillo Globe-News
Related Articles
- Reportlinker Adds Latino Foods: The Next Wave Culinary Trend Mapping Report Report
- Green Globe International, Inc. Announces Partnership With Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) for Central American and Caribbean Markets
- Oscar(R) Nominated and Golden Globe(R) Award-Winning Actress Sigourney Weaver ('Ice Storm,' 'Gorillas in the Mist') Headlines Her First Made for Television Movie With Lifetime's 'Prayers for Bobby'
- City Prohibits Shave-Ice Sales Until June
- Ice Cream Connoisseurs Don't Let Cold Weather Slow Them
- Blue Laws Entangle Grocers
- Concrete Firm Fined on Water, Air Issues
- Cool Commodity, Hot Market
- Travel: So Much on Menu at Leisure Complex
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds