Choose Marshall welcomes True North Ice Cream
The Choose Marshall Chamber recently welcomed True North Ice Cream with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Owned by Vaughn and Amy Frentz, the shop opened at 403 S. Kalamazoo Ave. in the spring.
Pictured left to right: Kierith Kurth, Choose Marshall; Chamber Ambassador Holly Irish, Beron’s Tree Service; Ambassador Valorie Vaughan, Highpoint Community Bank; Jack Reed, MAEDA Board of Directors and TCF Bank; Jim Durian, CEO, Choose Marshall; Vaughn Frentz, Owner, True North; Adriana Garza, True North; Ambassador Carl Gibson; Kimber Thompson, Choose Marshall; Patty Williams, MAEDA Board of Directors; Ambassador Jessica Walker, B&B Services; Marshall Mayor Joe Caron.
“For the last couple of years, I’ve been making and selling 150 to 200 quarts of ice cream a month from my home and have been planning to open a shop for a while,” said Frentz. “My wife, Amy, owns The Harvester Flower Shop in town and we originally thought to locate on the second floor there. But this building came up for sale and here we are.”
The first days of opening drew up to an hour and a half long lines to the bright and renovated shop. Although Frentz and his staff were excited by the response, he knew that type of wait wasn’t sustainable. “I think people will give a new place about two tries before they decide to go somewhere else,” he said. “I’ve been able to hire more people and improve our workflow to really streamline our service. I have a great staff and they all work well together and are efficient—now we’ve had school classes of 30 in and out in 12 minutes.”
Featuring about 30 hand-scooped ice cream flavors on any given day, True North rotates 45 flavors every month, including dairy-free options and sorbets. Recently added is a soft-serve ice cream machine, which produces another half dozen flavors. All recipes are non-GMO, and are free of added dyes, hormones, and stabilizers. In addition to ice cream cups and cones, the shop offers shakes, malts, and sundaes, and serves espresso, cappuccino, and frappes. Pints and quarts also are available for take-out.
Frentz believes in partnering with other local small business owners, as well as backing the community in other ways. He has incorporated Marshall-made Old Pan Toffee into an ice cream and sells Bakewell Quiches out of the shop. He has also recently held fundraisers for The Fountain Clinic, the Ayla Lankerd Scholarship Fund, and The Haven of Rest shelter, donating portions of the shop’s proceeds to those efforts.
Other special touches at True North Ice Cream include a carry-out window, free Wi-Fi, and ample outdoor space for families and friends to gather, even for extended periods of time. “The support we’ve received from the community has been heartwarming. With the relationships we have, we couldn’t duplicate this in another town,” added Frentz.
True North Ice Cream is open Sunday through Thursday 2-9pm, Friday and Saturday 2-10pm, and may be reached at 269-781-7623, truenorthicecream@gmail.com, or www.facebook.com/Truenorthicecream.
For more information about the Choose Marshall Chamber and area events, contact the Welcome Center at 323 W. Michigan Ave., 269-781-5163, or www.choosemarshall.com.