Old Dutch #2 opening in Gulf Shores (Mobile, Fairhope: 2014, high school, living)

[unstoppablemobile]

Old Dutch ice cream in Gulf Shores? Here's the scoop on the new partnership making it possible | AL.com

Now in her 17th year of owning a Mobile landmark, Cammie's Old Dutch Ice Cream Shoppe on Old Shell Road in Midtown, Cammie Wayne recently considered opening a second location, in Semmes.

And why not? Business is steady in the old-fashioned ice cream parlor that's been pretty much the same since it was established in 1969 as Widemire's Old Dutch.

But four years ago, Wayne started making her own ice cream in a little creamery inside the shop, and shortly thereafter she expanded her wholesale business by selling ice cream to Mr. Mac's Soda Shoppe at McConaghy Drugstore in Satsuma.

Since she started making her own ice cream, she has also supplied Dauphin Street Taqueria and Union (both part of the group of OK Bicycle Shop restaurants owned by brothers Jim and Woody Walker) with toffee and cinnamon ice cream; vanilla ice cream to Kitchen on George; and signature flavors for Cream and Sugar, incorporating pieces of the bakery's cake balls.

But then, Matt Lumpkin came along. A Fairhope native, Lumpkin has fond memories of eating lemon ice cream at Old Dutch whenever his family went to Mobile. "Old Dutch has been one of my favorite places since I was a kid," he said.

After spending several years as a regional operations manager for a chemical and coatings company, he was ready to switch gears and take on a job with no traveling so he could spend more time with his family. The most fun job he'd ever had, he said, was working at Mr. Gene's Beans ice cream shop in Fairhope when he was in high school.

When his company was bought out, he decided to take the plunge and open an ice cream shop in "the perfect location" in Gulf Shores. He's now within a month or so of opening Matt's Homemade Alabama Ice Cream—made in Mobile, at Cammie's Old Dutch.

"It's definitely huge for me, having Cammie's ice cream," he said.

For Wayne, it's a win-win situation. "I needed to generate more business, and maybe this is God's way of saying, you don't need to open another shop—here's one for you," she said.

Wayne feels relieved to expand her business by selling more ice cream, but still being able to focus on her one location in Mobile. "I'm kind of partial to just having my ice cream shop," she said. "It takes the quaintness out when there's more than one."

She enjoys making ice cream and experimenting with new flavors and said that hers is one of only four creameries in the state that wholesales ice cream.

Lumpkin is closely following Wayne's model, proving that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. He plans to serve 40 flavors of Old Dutch ice cream and to offer basically the same menu as Cammie's, from sundaes to banana splits to milkshakes.

He also wants to create a similar atmosphere, though his shop won't have the vintage wallpaper or the steel sign that Wayne has in Mobile. Matt's will be decorated in black and white and lime green to create a cool, refreshing atmosphere, he said.

"I think it's going to be great," said Wayne. "He's got a lot of energy."

Lumpkin has been selecting the flavors he wants to sell at the beach, and Wayne is working on a signature flavor that will only be available at his shop. "It's really going to be a lot of fun," he said. "We'll test it and see what works and what doesn't."

Lumpkin feels as if he's found the perfect location for his new venture on Highway 59, within walking distance of the beach, Waterville USA, putt-putt and the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo. Matt's will be right across the street from TCBY, which he said is "always packed," so he hopes to help with some of the overflow.

If his shop does as well as he hopes, maybe he'll feel like Cammie Wayne does one day. "I am employing my first group of former employees' children," she said. "I have two 16-year-olds whose mothers worked for me. It really makes me feel old."

[ronrutmr2]

Sounds like it will be real close to the new Mojo's restaurant. Hope they do well, but I'm more of a TCBY fan...

Ron
Foley, AL