Easy Like Sundae Opens in Downtown Ferndale
(C. Proxmire, Ferndale 115 News, July 28, 2012)
Okay, so this is how it works. You walk in to Easy Like Sundae at 172 W. 9 Mile and you grab a paper bowl. (Be careful they’re pretty big)
Then you walk over to the Frozen Yogurt Wall and check out the multiple flavors above the good old fashioned soft-serve levers that dispense incredible, fat-free frozen yogurt. Above the stainless steel dispensers are picture-framed signs with the different flavors, each one custom blended by the shopkeeper and his staff. Examples on opening day included Cake Batter, Lime, Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Vanilla. Pick out the flavor – or flavors – you want and fill the bowl to your heart’s content.
Next you get to choose your toppings. This is where it can get complicated. The self-serve bar has fresh toppings like strawberry, kiwi, pineapple, fruit sauces, cherries, chocolate, and caramel. A can of whipped cream stays chilled in the center. There are also a couple rows of self-serve toppings like gourmet jelly bean, mini M&Ms, Coco Puffs, granola and other candies, cereals, and more. Load ‘em on and then take your bowl to the weigh station to check out.
The cost is 46 cents an ounce. To drink you might choose a frozen slushie or a nice cold glass bottle of Faygo or a bottle of water.
You can sit inside, in a spacious tropical blue and green room with sunshine-colored accents and whitewashed beach-furniture tables. Or relax outside under spring green umbrellas in the sidewalk-seating area in front of the store. Either way there is a generous view of W. 9 Mile, with Java Hutt and the Library Bookstore across the street. Soft rock favorites, including the song ‘Easy Like Sundae Morning,’ play inside and there’s also a big screen TV, kept on mute.
Owner Aaron Stone is excited to be running his first brick and mortar business, which compliments his work as a teacher, football coach and athletic trainer. While he’d never been involved with making dairy products before, the suppliers at Frosty Products worked closely with Stone to train him on using the equipment and making the best frozen yogurt dispensary possible. He said they were “very helpful with the whole process.”
So what drove this teaching-minded young entrepreneur to start his own frozen yogurt shop? Stone is seeking a year-round, summer-time-heavy, source of income to balance out his other passions. And the idea really stuck a chord after learning hearing his Dad talking about a visit down to Tennessee visiting his sister and her children. “All the kids wanted to do was go to this frozen yogurt place,” he said. “They just loved it. My dad was surprised there weren’t any places like that around here, and it seemed like something that would catch on. So why not?”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on July 26, 2012 in front of the sidewalk seating area. Members of the Ferndale Area Chamber of Commerce and the DDA were on hand to welcome Stone and the Easy Like Sundae Morning crew to Downtown Ferndale, and Chamber President Jay McMillan read a proclamation welcoming them to the community.
Stone, who grew up in Flint and lives in Berkley, said he often comes to Ferndale with friends. “This is a great community and I look forward to growing here and getting involved as the business gets established.”
To find out more about Easy Like Sundae Morning, check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/EasyLikeSundae.
(editor’s note: Dear Superman… you are apparently invisible on film as the pictures vanished from my camera before I got home. Very strange superpowers you have! So sorry, I was unable to post yours.)