Ellwood Ice Serving Up Sensitivity Safe Treats

Apple, Banana, Birthday Cake, Blue Cotton Candy, Oh, my!

Blue Raspberry, Bubble Gum, Caramel, Guava, Gotta have a treat from Ellwood City Ice!

All of those flavors and more are the new wave of yum for EVERYONE available at 504 Lawrence Avenue.

If your mouth is watering, you are in luck because they are now open from 2 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays until the warmer months when they plan to expand hours.

Ellwood Ice opened its doors for the first time on January 28 to a big community-driven crowd who had been waiting since Fall. The shop truly features options for everyone … premium shave ice and ice cream including gluten, dairy, dye, and sugar free options.

Adam and Lauren Wilson are living their dream, to provide options that anyone can enjoy despite allergies and food sensitivities.

Lauren was stunned by the response on the shop’s opening day.

“It was the most surreal day, and So many people reached out and said how nice it is to have allergen free options,” she said. “The responses really made me feel lighter. It’s exactly what we wanted to do this for. Most of all we want the kids like our kid to just come in and be able to get something without worry.”

Lauren along with her son Everette, 7, struggle with food sensitivities and allergies. She said she has agonized over moments where her son felt left out of activities and celebrations because of it. She said she wanted Ellwood Ice to be different and all-inclusive for both kids and adults.

But the real mastermind behind the plan was Adam, who wanted to go out of his way to help people just like Lauren and Everette.

“Adam started researching,” Lauren said. “He read all there was to read and watched every video. He even spoke to successful shave ice business owners to get the big and small details sorted out. He was so passionate about serving treats that we could all enjoy as a family, and his passion spread.”

Next thing you know, Lauren was looking for brick and mortar locations and completely aboard the Treats for Everyone Train.

While looking for locations, Lauren couldn’t imagine opening anywhere but in Ellwood City.

“We love where we live,” she said. “We’ve traveled, explored, and lived in different parts of the country but there’s no place like home. We moved to Western PA in 2014 when we bought our first home in Patterson Township. We found ourselves in Ellwood constantly. We were always attending town events or visiting with family. In 2021 we bought a house and made ourselves official Ellwoodians. We want to give back to our community. We want to serve in a greater capacity in the town we love.”

Ellwood Ice serves premium shave ice in store with double filtered water and ice cubes. It is shaved when you order it to be fluffy and soft on the spot. Then it is flavored with one of 28 flavors made in house from the best ingredients. Treat lovers can top it off with a variety of toppings, too. The ice is always vegan and gluten free. There are sugar free options and four clear flavors that don’t contain dyes. They also have dairy and vegan whipped cream as well as sour spray, sprinkles, and snow cap (sweetened milk) to top your treats.

Lauren said they are pleased to partner with Windy Ridge Dairy to offer their local ice cream that can be served solo in a dish or under the premium shave ice.

“Lindsey makes the tastiest ice creams and was even gracious enough to make us a vegan ice cream,” Lauren said. “It’s vanilla, coconut based, and so so tasty!”

The shop also carries snacks, pops, and Gatorade. And, if you want Ellwood Ice swag they have two sizes of stickers (made by Ellport’s Nick Buffone aka TheOneDesigner), unique and homemade t-shirts (made by North Sewickley’s Rachel Strutt), and shave ice and ice cream critters (made by Kassie’s Kreations, Kassie Fitzgerald).

In addition to partnering with other local businesses and crafters, Ellwood Ice plans to help community organizations.

“We are hoping to support Club Hope by raising funds through their upcoming heart fundraiser,” Lauren said. “We will have red, pink, and white paper hearts in the shop. Every time someone donates, they can write a name on a heart to encourage people who are currently fighting their cancer battles (red hearts), to celebrate people who are surviving and thriving (pink hearts), and to honor those who are no longer earth-side (white hearts).”

Lauren said the best part of their business so far has been the unwavering community support.

“The support we’ve received from the community from day one has been astonishing. We posted a little intro post in a community Facebook group right before Fall Fest in 2022, and it blew up! So many community members were welcoming us online and went out of their way to seek us at the event to offer their support!”

She said that she and Adam along with daughter Lillie, 3, and Everett are so grateful to be part of something that will tie them to so many people.

“We most look forward to meeting so many community members and catching up with friends and family over our tasty treats. We hope to learn from the other successful business owners in our area and we hope to serve for many years to come! “

Follow Ellwood Ice on Facebook and Instagram, and visit their website.