SURF CITY — Topsail Island will have a new ice cream shop just in time for the busy spring and summer tourism season.
Tiki Turtle’s Ice Creams and Mocktails will join the well-stocked ice cream lineup currently found in Surf City’s Topsail Island business district: Beach Bunny Ice Cream, Locals Ice Cream Shop, Island Crush Italian Ice, Snow Factory, The Daily Grind, and Island Delights each serve various forms of ice cream within a three-block section of the island just north of the Surf City Bridge roundabout.
Manager Ericka Foskey, whose husband William owns the shop, said on Tuesday they will focus on serving homemade ice cream, Dippin’ Dots, and “mocktails”.
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“It’s a cocktail without the alcohol, so we can still be a part of the cool crowd without diving into the alcohol business,” Foskey said. “Instead of having a ‘Sex on the Beach’, we’ll have a ‘Cuddles on the Beach’.”
She said they have contracted with a creamery out of Southport to supply their homemade ice cream. Customers will get a chance to vote on flavors of the month for both the homemade ice cream and Dippin’ Dots — a nitrogen-made, pelleted ice cream snack invented in 1988.
The shop’s Facebook page also shows waffles served with ice cream, “create your own” milkshakes, and a vegan Dippin’ Dot flavor.
The grand opening is scheduled for Saturday, March 30, with a ribbon cutting at noon. Although Foskey is unsure when official full-time hours will begin, she said Tiki Turtle’s will be open Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 6 p.m. (closed Monday through Wednesday). She is hoping to stay open later some Fridays, depending on the size of the beach crowd.
“As long as there are people out there, we’ll stay open,” Foskey said.
Rebounding after Florence, giving back
After plans to open full-time on January 1 were throttled by Florence, Foskey said she and her husband are hopeful for a strong tourism season this spring and summer.
“It would’ve been better if we started last year, but just as with other business owners in Surf City, we’re trying to put together our personal lives back together — our roofs and our walls and our floors, things like that,” Foskey said. “I think it will be a little slower than what is typical in this area, but I think we ’ll do fine. You can’t go wrong with ice cream and the beach.”
Foskey also said the shop will focus on giving back to the community through military discounts — she still deals with symptoms from a traumatic brain injury that occurred during a previous career in the U.S. Army — and by serving free flavored coffee for first responders and local law enforcement officers.
Additionally, some Saturdays (from 11 a.m. to noon) will feature a “Feed the Kids” canned food drive, where customers can exchange a can of food for a scoop of ice cream. According to Foskey, the cans will be donated to Share the Table, a Hampstead-based nonprofit that distributes food to families throughout Pender and Onslow counties.
Mark Darrough can be reached at [email protected]
