Find extreme milkshakes, creative ice cream flavors and more at Carolina Scoops.
While we’re on the brink of witnessing a change in seasons, there’s at least one aspect of summer that you don’t have to relinquish — ice cream. Yes, the city has an array of ice cream shops, but the Charlotte area recently got a little sweeter with the addition of Carolina Scoops to Pineville.
Pineville resident and owner Sara Longstreet opened the ice cream shop in early June, and the shop has been buzzing with excitement, cool vibes and satisfaction for those who proclaim that ice cream is their love language.
With no ice cream shop in downtown Pineville, Longstreet saw a demand and was determined to meet it.
“There was a need for it to just have a place for families to come after games, or to celebrate birthdays or just get out of the house after dinner and go have a dessert treat,” Longstreet told CharlotteFive. “There’s a lot of people that have come in making rituals — like there’s a father and daughter from my neighborhood that come in every Friday.”
Witnessing the community interact is also a highlight for Longstreet.
“Through COVID, I just felt like we lost connections with people,” she said. “So having people come in and seeing families together, celebrating and just seeing people connect again has been the most rewarding part of it.”
Finding flavors
Having tasty ice cream at the center of those connections is an added bonus. Longstreet takes her job seriously, intentionally sourcing more than 15 ice cream flavors from Maple View Farms in Hillsboro and another ice cream vendor in Florida. A bi-monthly delivery of ice cream from Maple View Farms ensures the shop is equipped to create frozen desserts, such as sundaes, shakes, floats and more.
Along with her two children, Longstreet spent a summer visiting every North Carolina dairy farm to taste various flavors of ice cream, making decisions about what to serve at Carolina Scoops. They landed on a few out-of-the-box flavors and classics from her childhood, such as bubble gum and cotton candy. The Carolina Crunch is a crowd favorite.
“I tried to pick classic flavors but also like new and innovative flavors, too,” she said. “Also, I try to have two non-dairy flavors at all times for the people that maybe can’t consume milk or cream or high-sugar type ice cream. So, there’s a little bit for everybody.”
A peek at the menu:
Carolina Crunch Ice Cream: Vanilla ice cream with Butterfinger, Heath bar and toffee bits.
Garbage Can Ice Cream: Vanilla ice cream with chunks of seven different candy bars.
Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream: Red velvet ice cream with chunks of red cake and a ribbon of cream cheese icing.
Carolina Taco Sundae: Waffle cone taco shell filled with one scoop of ice cream, two drizzles, whip cream and sprinkles.
Carolina Nachos Sundae: Two scoops of vanilla ice cream on top of waffle cone chips, caramel drizzle, chocolate drizzle, whip cream, sprinkles and cherries, served in a nacho bowl.
Original Cookie Dough Queen Shake: Cookie dough ice cream, a vanilla frosted edible rim with mini chocolate chips, chocolate drizzle, a Toll House chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich, whipped cream and mini chocolate chips.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Queen Shake: Reese’s Cup ice cream, chocolate frosted edible rim with mini Reese’s Pieces, chocolate drizzle, peanut butter drizzle, two Reese’s cups, whipped cream and a cherry.
“We can make a regular milkshake in any flavor the customer wants, but we also have what we call Queen Shakes, which are extreme milkshakes,” she said. “They’re a little bit more Instagram-worthy. It’s like a milkshake on steroids.”
An ice cream shop with a toy section? Yes, it’s true.
Flexibility along with good hospitality is a part of the customer experience at Carolina Scoops. Because of the unusual flavor offerings, tasting samples is also a part of the experience, so people are confident in their decision.
“We’re very flexible with whatever the customer wants,” she said. “We just want to make sure that they’re getting exactly what they want and that they’re happy with it.”
The toy section is a nod to Longstreet’s previous career in the toy industry. Visitors can spend extra time in the shop perusing the selections of toys, which are all $15 or less. “It’s a homey feel inside, and the most important thing is the quality of what we’re serving but also the customer service.”
Future plans include expanding the menu to include seasonal items. Carolina Scoops will also participate in more community events in Pineville. Visitors can expect menu items, such as coffee and hot chocolate mixed with ice cream for the winter.
“Eventually, I want to get a mobile food cart, so I’m most excited about expanding in that way and bringing Carolina Scoops to community events as opposed to just relying on people to come to us,” Longstreet said.
Carolina Scoops
Location: 105 Dover St, Pineville, NC 28134
Neighborhood: Pineville
Cuisine: ice cream, dessert
Hours: Open Tuesday through Sunday from 12-9 p.m.; closed Monday
Instagram: @carolinascoops
