Business owner discovers early 1900s treasures when remodeling her new ice cream parlor
When she tore the metal off the front of the building where she planned to open her new ice cream parlor — the whimsically named Lil’ Deuce Scoop — Carol Irvine uncovered something special.
A ghost sign that read “Howard’s Drug Store” was hiding underneath, a remnant of one of the previous incarnations of the more than 100-year-old historic building at 110 W. Main St. in Mulvane
The sign, on the face of the building, was white washed, but Irvine was able to take the paint off and recover the letters underneath. “It’s just a nice piece of history,” said Irvine, who plans to preserve the sign on the face of the shop, which since it opened earlier this summer has become a go-to dessert destination for people dining at Luciano’s just down the street.
Irvine, who has always been fascinated with history, was able to locate a picture of her shop when it operated as Howard’s Drug Store — back in 1907, according to the photo from the Mulvane Historical Museum. She also took care to restore the tin ceiling in the shop, which she found during remodeling and was delighted to see in its original glory in the historical photo.
Lil’ Deuce Scoop was named by Irvine’s boyfriend, Mike Coates, whose father was a big Beach Boys fan. But when Coates used to hear the song “Little Deuce Coupe,” he thought the lyric was “Lil Deuce Scoop.”
The shop carries Chocolate Shoppe brand ice cream, which is made in Madison, Wisconsin, and is a big deal in the Great Lakes area. People who grew up in the region are huge fans of the brand’s Superman ice cream, which is a vibrant yellow, red and blue and looks almost like Play-Doh but tastes like the milk left over from a bowl of Froot Loops cereal, Irvine said.
“The support has been amazing,” Irvine said. “There have been several people come in from Derby and Wichita and even Bel Aire. We’ve also had a lot of people who grew up by the Great Lakes and have heard about us having Superman ice cream.”
The shop will always have multiple flavors available, including no-sugar-added ice cream. They also serve sundaes, shakes and malts as well as an “ice cream flight” that allows indecisive customers a way to sample four different flavors for one price.
Irvine also is serving hotdogs and brats and sandwiches, including a turkey and avocado sandwich and a Reuben.
There are some ice cream parlor chairs and tables available for seating, and the shop has a big vintage candy section selling items such as Charleston Chew, Jelly Belly Candy Co. and the Haribo gummy candy brand.
Lil’ Deuce Scoop is open from noon to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. For more information, call 316-558-3853.
This story was originally published August 20, 2018 at 9:38 PM.