Starting in April, Poplar Bluff, Mo., residents began noticing an icon that hadn't been seen in the city in years: an old-fashioned ice cream truck, complete with traditional music, traveling up and down the streets, offering tasty treats to children and adults alike.
The family-owned business is operated by Randy West of Poplar Bluff, along with his wife, Joyce, and adult children Brittany and Kaleb. Randy and Joyce both work full-time jobs but operate the truck as a labor of love.
West had discussed starting the business previously with a friend but nothing ever came together. When the friend offered to sell the 1974 Chevy truck to West, he discussed it with his family before moving forward. They liked the idea, although were unsure whether the venture would be successful.
"They were fine with it," West said. "They said, 'Let's do it and have fun with it. If nothing else we'll have fun with it.'"
West and his family then began stocking the truck with 24 varieties of ice cream. For health-conscious visitors, he offers sugar free crunch bars. A new, popular item has been the frozen snow cone, and West also sells pints of ice cream from his truck. Among young customers, Spongebob Squarepants, Dora the Explorer and Spiderman ice cream bars are the most popular, items that cannot be found in local stores, according to West. For those desiring more traditional ice cream truck fare, West offers Old Recipe bars and Nestle Push-Ups. Nothing he sells from the truck costs more than $3.
"It's all affordable," he said.
The seasonal business has taken off, although West and his wife still depend on their full-time jobs to support their family. Although West has been in the ministry for 14 years, he had worked in grocery stores for 25 years, and his management experience has served him well in his current venture.
"We're not going to become wealthy over this," he said.
West said he contemplated whether a traditional ice cream truck would go over as well today as they did in their heyday.
"I thought it was a great idea, to bring back a little American heritage," he said. "We're the most traditional ice cream out there."
Fortunately, older residents who remember seeing ice cream trucks growing up, as well as children who have only seen them on television, have both responded well.
"It's about the experience," West said. "Old people like it just as much as the young people. I've had grandparents flag me down because they wanted their grandchildren to experience it. Even the music is traditional."
The truck often catches the eye of parents in traffic, he said.
"We have people actually honk and pull us over," West said. After West had his cell phone number painted on the back of the truck, he said he would receive calls from people behind him in traffic who wanted him to stop so they could buy ice cream.
While West has a regular route he and his family members run, they can also bring the truck to events like parties for no charge, besides the cost of ice cream. He regularly stops by Little League baseball games, and stops at the city pool on family night on Thursday nights. Another regular stop is area daycares.
"It's just a great experience for them [children]," he said. "You've got kids dancing, jumping around."
"The thing that thrills us is bringing a smile to a kid's face," West added.
This summer, West began running the truck in April and plans to do so through September. Next summer he hopes to start a little earlier, in March.
"It's been a learning experience," West said. "The more we do it the better we'll get at it."
For more information about the truck, contact West at 429-0185.