Quarterman's Ice Cream Parlor Brings Old School Service, New School Flavors to Downtown

Hannah Sentenac

Everywhere you look, someone is peddling healthy eats. We're bombarded with gluten free, no added sugar, low calorie crap. And yeah, we know we should try to eat right and all that. But sometimes, both body and soul need to screw the calorie-counting and opt to indulge. On days like those, there's Quarterman's Ice Cream Parlor.

The newest addition to downtown's dessert lineup, the spot is a 1930s throwback, manned by owner Madai Girard and her family. This is old school ice cream. Think little George Bailey serving up chocolate ice cream and coconut flakes to curly-haired Mary. (Cue the awwwws.)

See also:
- Homemade Ice Cream for Valentine's Day
- Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's Talks Ice Cream, Stamps, and Sustainability

The Girard family is all about keeping customers happy. You can see it in their wide smiles and unfettered enthusiasm -- and by the fact that the three-week old shop already has a slew of regulars.

Girard and her son man the scoops full time, and they're joined part-time by her daughter-in-law, other son and even grandkids on the weekends. She and her husband also own an aviation company, but when they saw a need for an old-fashioned ice cream shop to serve the people of downtown, they went for it.

"If they're not happy when they walk in, they're very happy when they leave. Our samples are free and we don't pressure anyone," Madai says.

Hannah Sentenac

The store serves up premium ice cream in unique flavors like Mexican hot chocolate (thick chocolate with marshmallows, cayenne pepper and cinnamon); banana cream pie (rich banana with a milky sweetness and ripe chunks); salty caramel peanut (sweet and salty with nutty bits), guava cream cheese (heavily fruity and creamy cool) and the insanely popular dulce de leche (caramel swirls and a super sweet cream base).