Granna's Sweet Treats offers cool relief in hot summer
In Alabama, you can always count on two things every summer: heat and humidity. A new business in Collinsville, Granna’s Sweet Treats, is now open to provide guests with some sweet relief.
On a recent Friday afternoon, it was more than 90 degrees after a summer rain storm. The sun was out, and steam was coming off the mountain in Collinsville, intensifying the humidity.
That is when I noticed a bright green sign that said “Granna’s Sweet Treats”.
Mark Shatzel, a Collinsville local and member of the Rescue Squad, was with me. He said “Oh! That’s our new ice cream parlor. Do you want to stop by?” Being the sweets fanatic I am, I happily agreed to the pit stop.
Three large wooden picnic tables sat in front of Granna’s Sweet Treats for customers. The building was lined with colorful flowers and decorations. I knew whoever owned this business had a green thumb.
As Shatzel and I entered the ice cream parlor, we were welcomed by Melissa Mitchell, the owner of the ice cream shop. She let us look over the menu as she chatted with other customers.
Both children and adults were sitting around tables lined with colorful tablecloths enjoying their ice cream. The bubblegum pink walls were accented with paintings of ice cream cones. A menu board listed 13 different ice creams, 14 milkshake flavors and 12 sno cone flavors. Ten other various deserts completed the menu.
Mitchell told us their most popular item so far is the peanut butter milkshake.
I stared in awe of the menu for at least five minutes before deciding on a plain vanilla ice cream cone.
There is nothing quite like a hand-scooped ice cream cone on a hot summer day in the South. But frozen treats have not always been easy to come by in Collinsville. Shatzel said, “I’m glad they opened this up. Collinsville has never had an ice cream parlor, at least not since I’ve lived here.”
Mitchell, Leanne Lumsden, and Tiffany Pruitt run the business. Mitchell said, “We’ve only been open a little over a week, but the town has really been a blessing. We stay so busy that the ice cream starts getting soft because we have to open the freezer so much!”
Mitchell, a life-long resident of Collinsville, said the new shop is an extension of her strong sense of community. In addition to Granna’s Sweet Treats, she owns Mitchell’s This and That, a local thrift store in downtown Collinsville that she opened in June 2016.
With business at the thrift store doing well over the last year, she decided to explore more ideas. She said, “My thrift store helped me open this place. I’m working my way up to a bakery. I just thought an ice cream shop would be a good head start on it. The town needs more businesses. I’m trying to do my part.”
After the grand opening of Granna’s Sweet Treat, Mitchell’s next hopes to open a bakery. She is starting by offering a weekly special. This week was strawberry extreme cake loaded with strawberry cake, toppings and whipped cream. Every week she wants to introduce a new item and see how the town responds.
Mitchell said, “I hope this place does good. I really enjoy doing it.”
Granna’s Sweet Treats is open Tuesday through Friday from noon until 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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