Downtown Harlem has an oasis for the end of a hot workday, a breezy afternoon or a sleepy weekend midday.
Main Street Treats is an ice cream parlor on Louisville Street that has had a good year since opening in April.
“Reception has been very good,” said owner Mark Whitaker. “We had a great summer, it’s held up well. We’re just trying to adapt now to school time and getting ready for the winter.”
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Whitaker purchased the business from Adam and Stephanie Yoder, who had launched it as Yoder’s Dairy Barn in 2019.
“It was actually a big surprise that dad was purchasing it!” said Raven Truitt, Whitaker’s daughter, who, along with Whitaker’s other daughter Liza Davis, helps manage the shop.
Whitaker changed the name to Main Street Treats to highlight its conspicuous location on Harlem’s Louisville Street strip and to leave it open for offering more than just ice cream. Whitaker says that more treats are down the road, but right now they’re just getting their feet wet.
“We wanted to make sure we had the ice cream part down pat before we tried to stretch ourselves farther than we were able to,” said Truitt.
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Spring and summer provided a learning curve for the family. Whitaker is an electrical contractor, and both of his daughters are schoolteachers. Whitaker notes the striking difference between working in construction and working in confections.
“I work with all guys and a couple of secretaries, a lot rougher bunch,” said Whitaker. “At the ice cream shop, I employ a lot of high school and college girls, with maybe one or two fellows. So, I have to be totally different in how I handle people. It’s a big contrast.”
Modifying the brands along with work environments has proven profitable so far. Yoder’s Dairy Barn sold Blue Bell ice cream, so Main Street Treats does as well. But Main Street has also branched out with Ice Cream Club, which allows them more flavor variety. Even non-dairy ice cream has been added to the menu after customers requested it.
“Those have been a hit, even for dairy ice-cream eaters,” said Truitt. “They love the flavors, too. You really can’t tell a difference.”
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Among the most popular ice cream flavors the store offers are butterscotch bomb, red velvet and blue monster. Chocolate milkshakes, however, remain a staple.
“We go through two or three tubs of chocolate ice cream every week,” said Truitt.
The shop and its space fit with Harlem’s active bustling. Its late afternoon hours, which are set to accommodate the school schedules of its young employees, seem to pair well with the town’s daily cycle.
“We’ll see a real big jump around 4 p.m., then another big jump at dinner time,” said Truitt. “We’ll stay open later, depending on the crowd. We won’t turn people away.”
In the short time it has been open it has been the site of music shows, bridal showers and birthday parties. In July, it hosted the Harlem Block Party, which featured appearances by Disney princesses and a concert by the Harlem Sons. Other plans in store include participation in the Oliver Hardy Festival and Ladies’ Night Out.
Whitaker attributes a lot of the shop’s success thus far to the close-knit nature of Harlem’s community.
“I’m looking forward to keeping the energy up, as far as people wanting to come,” said Whittaker. We’re just trying to keep our eyes and ears open to what we can do to stay business and bring as many people through the shop as possible.”
Main Street Treats is located at 170 N. Louisville St. in Harlem. For more information visit its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MainStreetTreats170.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering Columbia County with The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
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