Thursday, January 10, 2013

[NEWS BITES] Ferndale's Treat Dreams expanding into former Pak-Mail space next door

Photo from the Metro Times.
Scott Moloney, the completely insane man who opened an ice cream shop in Michigan in the middle of the Great Recession, is now expanding his successful artisan bakery and "micro"-creamery Treat Dreams in Ferndale (known for fan favorite flavors like salted caramel as well as funky -- and I mean funky -- flavors like macaroni + cheese and lemon olive oil).

Since opening in 2010 Treat Dreams has been a staple at every single local festival and major event where food is any sort of a significant component (not to mention countless food truck rallies). Scott's ice creams, now topping over 500 unique flavors since opening in August 2010, have developed a cultish following and have earned Treat Dreams the distinction of being one of Michigan's top 10 ice cream parlors.

Today Scott officially announced that he will be expanding Treat Dreams into the space formerly (and currently still) occupied by Pak-Mail. This will allow him to double the size of his kitchen and almost triple the size of the dining room, allowing Treat Dreams to function as more of a "dessert cafe." Scott tells me that this will entail "a total makeover of my current and new space." Officially construction will start on February 18 and Scott hopes to have it completed by March 15.

He has also launched an Indiegogo campaign in the hopes of raising about one-third of the cost of expansion via crowd-funding. (For the full story of Treat Dreams, click on the Indiegogo link. It's a good one. Plus Scott has some good incentives for contributing, like a six-month subscription for $35 and design your own ice cream flavor with four pints to take home for $50.)

After reopening, he'll also be launching "Treat Dreams After Dark" -- an ice cream camp for adults. All of this in addition to a gnarly new truck for events and mobile service. Not too shabby for a guy who had only ever made two batches of ice cream in his life prior to opening an ice cream shop! Scott Moloney: living the dream.