|
Johnny’s Ice Cream opens
in CL
Photo by Sue Ryan
Debbie Fine dishes up ice cream for her grandson, Eli,
at her new business, Johnny's Ice Cream and Deli
in Cascade Locks.
|
|
By SUE RYAN
News staff writer
May 31,
2006
Hairdresser Debbie Fine has switched to dishing up ice cream as
she and her husband, John Neahr, have bought the Cascade Locks
Ice Cream and Deli business at 424 S.W. WaNaPa St. in Cascade
Locks.
They renamed it Johnny’s Ice Cream and Deli and opened May 20.
Fine was eager to be ready in time for customers during the busy
Memorial Day holiday.
She said they chose to go into the business partly to try
something new and partly because her client base had diminished.
“I had a beauty shop for many years here but many of my
clientele were getting older and passing on. I just didn’t have
as many younger people coming in,” she said.
Fine and daughter Tori Knebel split the 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
schedule for the summertime. Fine said she relies upon her
daughter for the heavy coffee traffic in the morning hours as
Knebel has 10 years of experience working at Coffee People in
Portland.
Fine and Neahr changed the menu slightly including switching to
serving Tillamook Ice Cream and local distributor Hood River
Coffee.
“As time progresses we’ll do some specials during the week,” she
said. “Right now we’re busy adjusting and gearing up for
summer.”
Fine said while the morning hours have been as busy as she has
expected, she was slightly surprised by the response she has
already gotten in the evening.
“I have had a real rush from 9 to 11 p.m. at night,” she said.
“It turns out there are a lot of truckers coming off the road
and fishermen who have been out on the river that are looking
for something to eat and there isn’t anything else open at that
hour here.”
She said the farmer’s market that started up on Sunday
afternoons in the plaza a few weekends ago has helped with their
early start.
“They are barbecuing tri-tip roast and that seems to draw a lot
of people as well as the booths,” she said.
Probably the customers most pleased with the opening of Johnny’s
Ice Cream and Deli are Fine and Neahr’s grandchildren.
Jimmie, Kylie, Eli, and Grant Knebel along with Myles Williams
all came in to visit Thursday afternoon and taste test “Gramma’s
ice cream.” |
