When a mother and her daughter went to Summersalt to get a pup cup for their fluffy, white dog, then-employee junior Marni Thurston remembers they were putting their dog down that same day.
Now, the family has a new dog they bring to Summersalt two times a week — and they also buy pup cups for it.
“[Working there,] it’s kind of like watching people grow, and [you’re] just being a base for them,” Marni said. “I enjoy it a lot.”
Summersalt, an ice cream store in Corinth Square, is open year-round and serves as an important part of the SM East community as a place for people — and dogs — of all ages and dietary restrictions to enjoy ice cream. Working at Summersalt is also many of SM East and other high school students’ first jobs, with 90% of all employees being teenagers, according to Summersalt owner and Marni’s dad Curtis.
Summersalt was senior Vicki Shutzler’s first job, and she started because her older sister worked there in high school. After working there for two years now, she says “Hi” to coworkers she recognizes from SM East in the school hallways.
“I've gotten to meet so many other people around the area, from different schools and just from [SM East] in general,” Vicki said. “And it's just really fulfilling to see people get so excited over something so simple as ice cream.”
Working at Summersalt her freshman year was basically a “rite of passage,” according to SM East alumni Maggie Condon. Condon was the senior year captain of the girls lacrosse club team, and this is the third year Summersalt will host a fundraiser for the team.
Every spring, lacrosse players will go to Summersalt for the fundraiser to scoop ice cream for customers, and 25% of all profits go to the girls lacrosse team.
“I always love seeing how the whole community came together to try and support our lacrosse team, because we really appreciated that,” Condon said.
Throughout the five years Curtis has been running the shop after opening it in 2020, he’s gotten to know more about people in the community.
Curtis remembers the order of a man who would come by Summersalt two or three times a week: a scoop of mint-chip ice cream and a vanilla shake. The shake was for his friend at Claridge Court, a retirement community.
The next time the man came in for his mint-chip ice cream, he didn’t ask for the vanilla shake. After his friend passed away, he comes in once a month.
“Every time he brought the shake over, he created enjoyment for his buddy, because that milkshake was the only thing that sounded good to him to eat, that his stomach could take,” Curtis said.
Summersalt is also inclusive for people with dietary restrictions, so people in the community can have more ice cream options available to them, such as vegan and gluten-free options.
As soon as Summersalt regular Beth Cooper’s four kids finish ballet practice next door once a week, they come to Summersalt — it’s one of the only ice cream stores that offers vegan options.
“It's important because kids growing up [vegan], I feel like they're missing out,” Cooper said. “So being able to have ice cream, a treat [to] still [include] them, that also is very important to us.”
The employees have become used to the variety of customers that come to Summersalt — remembering that an older customer asking for a “dip” means a scoop and that sometimes they’re going to serve an energetic group of elementary students who just got out of school.
“Grandparents love [ice cream],” Amy Thurston, Summersalt interior designer and Marni’s mom said. “Kids love it, teens love it, toddlers love it. It's really something that a whole family can enjoy at the same time. [...] So I think that that would be another thing I really love about Summersalt is that there's something there for everybody. Literally, everybody.”
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