Entrepreneur Julia Bailey of the newly opened Polly’s Ice Cream & Espresso in Huntingdon Valley, PA will be giving away her delicious new Famous 4th Street Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches to the first 100 customers who stop at the shop located at 715 Fetters Mill Square on Thursday, May 8th, which is also World Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day. The scrumptious sandwiches include locally produced Richman’s ice cream served between two Famous 4th Street Cookies®, which normally retail for $7 apiece.
“My grandmother Polly, whom the shop is named after, passed away from ovarian cancer in 1992. She was just 58 years old, so bringing awareness about the disease is very important to me,” explained Bailey. Customers of the mission-driven business will also be encouraged to make donations for the complimentary treats, as Bailey will be donating a portion of her sales at the end of the year to Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation, a local non-profit, and to the Huntingdon Valley Fire Company.
“My entire family, Polly included, has been involved in the community volunteer fire service for decades. My father has held multiple chief officer positions since 1987 with Lingohocken Fire. In that time, he has worked alongside a lot of the members of Huntingdon Valley Fire Company, which serves the area near my shop. Operating this location with friendly faces from the fire company around the corner has been extremely comforting to me, my family, and our entire team. We even have one of the chief’s daughters joining our team this summer, and it’s not uncommon to see a fire engine parked outside the shop so the daytime crew can cool off with ice cream, espresso, and affogatos between calls.”
That sense of community is what drew the 23-year-old entrepreneur to launch this new business last September after purchasing the previous business, Hick’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor, and renaming it after her grandmother. Bailey grew up on her family’s third-generation farm in Wrightstown Township, originally purchased by Polly and her husband, Sidney, in 1961. The young entrepreneur earned her degree in Agricultural Business from Delaware Valley University last year with the goal of owning and operating a small business, which came to fruition last fall.
“When the chance to purchase this ice cream shop came up, and after our first tour of the business, my dad told me an inspirational story on the drive home: years ago, when money was tight on the farm, my grandmother would say – ‘Wouldn’t it just be nice to open a little ice cream parlor?’ That’s all I needed to hear,” proclaimed Julia. “I decided at that moment that this was going to happen. Now Polly is with me every day, and that is such a blessing! I’m doing this giveaway and fundraiser so that more kids will have more time with their mothers and grandmothers. I’m committed to making an impact in my community.”
Polly’s Ice Cream & Espresso is located at 715 Fetters Mill Square in Huntingdon Valley. It is a proud woman-owned, family-run business dedicated to bringing joy with every scoop. To learn more, please visit https://www.pollysicecreamespresso.com.
