By Lillia Callum-Penso,
lpenso@greenvillenews.com
Published: April 3, 2018
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Jessica Randall wants people to be able to see the color all the way from outer space. That is why she chose to paint her second ice cream shop location the none too subtle color of “exotic bloom.”“It will be the hot pink building on North Pleasantburg Drive,” Randall says with a laugh.
The shop, a once drive-thru coffee shack which Randall and team lovingly refer to as “Pink on Pleasantburg,” is now home to Pink Mama’s newest location. The ice cream shop, located at 2551 N. Pleasantburg Dr., near Cherrydale, is slated to open the second week of May.
The growth comes as Pink Mama’s has become a go-to place for ice cream lovers of all ages. The shop specializes in hand scooped ice cream, milkshakes, floats, “crazy sundaes” and everything in between.
“We’re just a classic ice cream parlor with a pink twist,” Randall says.
The store is different from the original Travelers Rest shop in that it’s picnic style, Randall says, meaning it has no indoor seating, but instead contains two drive-thrus and two walk-up windows, along with seating for 50 on a nice patio.
Folks can expect the same menu as the original location, but with a few additions. Randall and her team are currently working on some special floats, milkshakes and sundaes.
Pink on Pleasantburg – Pink Mama’s Ice Cream #2
The second location came about as the rest of the Pink Mama story has, a mix of happenstance and entrepreneurial spirit.
“It just seemed like the natural next move, but we weren’t looking, Randall says. “It all fell into place really fast.”
So, they decided to go for it.
“I don’t know, I’m a risk taker,” Randall says as if anticipating people’s logical questions of how and why she built her business. “I just would rather try it and see than not.”
Pink Mama’s began in 2009 with a single ice cream truck that Randall operated in between her full-time work as a teacher. By 2013, the ice cream had become so popular that Randall quit her job and became a full-time ice cream entrepreneur.
In 2015, she took a further leap, opening the first brick and mortar location a 11 S. Main St, in Travelers Rest. The company today has three trucks and one shop, and Randall doesn’t see stopping anytime soon.
“I don’t ever wanna say no. Ever,” Randall says. “We don’t ever do anything that puts us in a bind or that violates our peace, but everything so far has kind of just fallen into place naturally. We’re going to take the risk if it’s a natural fit.”
Pink Mama’s Ice Cream makes four of its own flavors, including lavender white chocolate.
Pink Mama’s offers a semi-rotating menu of around 24-30 flavors daily, along with “extreme sundaes,” custom ice cream cakes, milkshakes, floats. Most of the ice cream is sourced from Hershey’s, but the shop also makes four custom flavors in house, including lavender white chocolate and the Motherlode (a pink-hued blend of Vanilla Almond Ice Cream Swirled with Oreos, Chocolate Chip Cookies & Mini Chocolate Chips). You can also get that ice cream in a custom Pink Mama pink waffle cone.
All the same menu items will be available at Pink on Pleasantburg.
To accommodate growth, Pink Mama’s is currently hiring, but you can be sure of one thing, Randall, her husband and co-owner, Jon, and their 15-year-old son, Seth, will always be a presence in the operation.
“We are truly a mom and pop running this thing,” she says. “We have been so fortunate. It has been amazing, and we want to keep the ride going for however long that goes.”
For more information on Pink Mama’s Ice Cream and about the new location, Pink on Pleasantburg, visit the Facebook or Instagram pages.
Pink on Pleasantburg is located at 2551 N. Pleasantburg Dr. in Greenville. They will be opening Monday May 14th for their soft opening between 2pm and 9pm.
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