WILTON – An ice cream parlor opening in the heart of the downtown in a couple of months is looking for a few good names.
Ken and Monica Allen will be opening their ice cream shop at 280 Main Street, the former location of Bradley’s Pizza, near the Civil War Monument. Their purchase of the 1,100 square foot building from Jon Bubier included a total renovation of the interior: new wiring, plumbing, insulation and a new ceiling. There will be some interior seating, as well as service windows facing Main Street.
The Allens said that they hope to open their as-of-yet unnamed ice cream parlor by Memorial Day.
Ken Allen, who has 20 years of experience as an accountant, intends to serve hard and soft serve ice cream at the shop. He’s been talking to a couple of different vendors, but wants to keep the cost down.
“We want a family to be able to have ice cream for just a few dollars,” Allen said.
They also want to have a sundae bar and Brett Allen, their six-year-old, has already made an executive decision that their new store will include a slushy machine.
The location was what drew the Allens to the property, calling the surrounding community one of its biggest strengths. Living in Farmington, both said they were drawn to Wilton’s focus on family, citing the story hours at the Wilton Free Public Library, the Western Maine Play Museum’s ongoing renovations and events in Bass Park, Kineowatha and around Wilson Lake.
“We thought [an ice cream shop] would add to the family focus of the community,” Ken Allen said.
The store would be open seven days a week for the warmer months of the year. Ken Allen estimated it would employ between six to eight people when open.
That just leaves the not-insignificant matter of picking a name for the new ice cream store. The Allens are seeking suggestions, kicking off a week-long Ice Cream Store Naming Contest, which will run until midnight on April 19, 2017. Submissions can either be made to the contest’s Facebook page, located here, or in the Comments section below.
The Allens will select their favorite three suggestions. While those may not end up being the shop’s name, the favorites will receive a prize:
1st – a free small hard serve ice cream cone every day for two weeks starting after opening day.
2nd – a free small hard serve ice cream cone every day for one week starting after opening day.
3rd – a free small hard serve ice cream cone every day for three days starting after opening day.
Up to three entries per person will be allowed. The winners’ free ice cream must be redeemed, one per day, within the allotted time frame. Ice cream is nontransferable.
