Owens opens Gram's Ice Cream and Candy Shoppe

A new ice cream parlor opened Monday, bringing cool treats to the Hi-Line and making a local mother of three and grandmother of five Havre's newest entrepreneur.

Gram's Ice Cream and Candy Shoppe at 127 1st St., the former location of Scotty's Ice Cream, is a cornucopia of sugary confections. Its 24 flavors of ice cream, 32 varieties of taffy and candy that include jellybeans, chocolate raisins, chewing gum, peppermint sticks and classic hard candy are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

The opening of Gram's marks the debut of Darla Owens as a small business owner. Having lived in Havre most her life and worked for 32 years as area manager of Pizza Hut, Owens bought Scotty's Ice Cream last week.

"I saw this was for sale and decided it would be a good opportunity for myself and my family to have a family-owned business," Owens said.

Aside from a few friends who can occasionally help out, Owens' three children, Rachel, Amanda and Christopher, who range in age from 23 to 27, are her only employees. All three have worked for her in the past at Pizza Hut, while her five grandchildren can also be seen around the shop.

But even with their years of experience in the restaurant business, the family is discovering they still have a few things to learn.

"None of us had done ice cream before," Owens said. As a result the crew have had to familiarize themselves with performing such tasks as scooping ice cream as well as preparing, milk shakes and sundaes.

The ice cream sold is made by Wilcoxson's, a Billings-based ice cream company. Flavors include blueberry cheesecake, snikerdoodle, cherry bomb and butter brickle. Cones sold range from 50 cents for a baby size to $6 for a "monster" cone. Malts, sundaes and root beer floats are also available.

Elsewhere in the store, products such as spices and organic teas are also for sale.

Gram's seeks to be more than a run of the mill ice cream parlor though, it aims to be a place where people can come to either relax in peace or socialize.

Beyond the small iron tables at the front of the store, there is a comfortable lounge area in back where, for a dollar, anyone can play a game of pool or ping-pong. Owens plans on setting up a foosball table as well. The room can also be rented out for birthdays and other functions.