Pelican’s manager Jada Ellis concentrates as she prepares a shaved ice for a customer this past week. Pelican’s SnoBalls, which serves up New Orleans-style shaved ice in a myriad of flavors, opened its doors earlier this month. The establishment is in Grassy Creek and is open every day of the week. (MNJ photo/Laz Aguayo)
Pelican’s SnoBalls has arrived in Mitchell County.
The chain that serves up New Orleans-style shaved ice in a myriad of flavors has come to Grassy Creek after Mitchell County’s Luke Stamey brought the brand into the building that used to house Terminix.
The local Pelican’s opened its doors for the first time on Tuesday, March 9 and Manager Candice Wiseman said business boomed right away.
“We opened at 12 and we haven’t stopped since,” Wiseman said.
There is already a Pelican’s in Marion, which Stamey said provided a blueprint for the brand’s potential in Spruce Pine.
“We looked at the one in Marion and thought, ‘hey, let’s give it a try’,” Stamey said.
The Spruce Pine Pelican’s will be open from noon to 9 p.m. daily and from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.
Pelican’s, which also offers an outdoor dining space and a drive-thru, will open regardless of the weather.
“That’s the biggest thing,” Stamey said. “There are no ice cream shops or anything here that stay open during the week.”
Stamey added that working with an established franchise like Pelican’s provides plenty of stability, adding that the ingredients make every serving delicious.
“It’s the best shaved ice you can get,” Stamey said. “We make all of our own ice.”
With that homemade ice, customers can get creative with their preferences. There are 110 flavors available and flavors can be mixed and matched to create thousands of possibilities.
Stamey said he expects the business to be a hit with the kids and observed several eager young consumers in line while saying so.
“School just let out and they’re lined up,” he said laughing.
While enjoying their shaved ice, kids can also enjoy an outdoor play area, which Wiseman said is her favorite part of the business.
“I’m really excited that it gives the kids a safe place to come hang out,” she said. “From young children to teenagers, all are welcome. It’s a safe environment where there is adult supervision as well as kids having fun. It’s very inexpensive.”
Stamey said he expects business to get even better as the weather warms up. In the future, he added, he hopes to be able to get a trailer to use to take Pelican’s to outdoor events such as the North Carolina Rhododendron Festival and the Mountaineer Festival.
Wiseman said the opening of Pelican’s roughly a year after the onset of the global pandemic is good timing.
“Basically, we trigger you to go outside,” Wiseman said. “You come in and order and then go outside. It’s a great location. Anybody that goes to Walmart from Avery or Yancey counties has to pass by.”