Frosty Bear Ice Cream Shoppe Scoops Out the Fun

Three little girls ate blue Cookie Monster ice cream at a table inside the Frosty Bear Ice Cream Shoppe at 695 Main Street on Saturday afternoon. Their mothers, Amy Merriman and Jody Poisson, decided to take them to the new Monroe business.

"They're loving it," Merriman said with a smile.

Madison Poisson, 6, said, "They didn't get sprinkles. I got sprinkles."

"And Gummy Bears!" Allison Merriman, 6, added.

Paul Moyse, a member of the Monroe Economic Development Commission and the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, ate a cone nearby.

"The Lemon Pie was exceptional," he said.

The Monroe Chamber and EDC helped Frosty Bear owner John Martin to celebrate its grand opening.

First Selectman Steve Vavrek and Nick Kapoor, chairman of the Democratic Town Committee, also attended the ceremony. Vavrek cut the ribbon with an oversized pair of scissors.

The first selectman tried a cone with Peppermint Stick ice cream. "It's very creamy. Very rich," he said. "A lot of flavor. I'm very happy we're starting to fill up some of our spaces here. He has a small shop and decided to expand here. He's been open since Thursday and the reviews have been good."

Chamber President Ray Giovanni said, "The Chamber's excited to get a new member. This is how the chamber works, business by business. We're trying to foster a positive business atmosphere that promotes networking and supports each other. Buy locally. Shop locally."

Giovanni expressed his belief that having the entire shopping center, which includes a Dunkin Donuts, filled will allow the businesses to complement each other.

The Pineapple Polar Whip

Martin and his wife, Ann, who live in Trumbull, run the Frosty Bear together. Their daughters, Lauren, 22, and Allison, 17, scooped ice cream for patrons on Sunday.

Martin was a graphic designer before deciding to start his own business. He found the ice cream business on Craigslist and began selling the product seasonally (May to September) at Christie's Country Store in Westport for four years.

"It was a good way to learn if people liked the ice cream," Martin said.

Frosty Bear uses Longford's ice cream, which is made in Port Chester.

"It's well-known in West Chester County," Martin said. "They sell to country clubs and restaurants. It's an ultra-premium ice cream."

Frosty Bear makes its own waffle cones and cups.

"We have specialty drinks we developed in Westport," Martin said, "a Shirley Temple Float with vanilla and strawberry ice cream and a Pineapple Polar Whip that's made with pineapple juice, lemon sorbet and vanilla ice cream. We whip it up. It's a creamy drink."

Aside from ice cream, Frosty Bear offers sorbet and frozen yogurt.

The Frosty Bear Name

Martin and his wife collaborated to come up with the name of their business.

"We wanted to come up with something cool and cold and she said, 'A polar bear,' and I said, 'Let's make it colder. The Frosty Bear.'"

Martin designed the polar bear logo with ice cream cones in a picture using cool purple and blue colors.

Martin is happy with his choice to go into the ice cream business.

"People coming for ice cream are usually in a good mood or celebrating something," he said. "It's better than something you have to do. You want to be upbeat. You want to be happy and have a good time. Customer service is important. We want people to be happy with what they get."