PORTLAND - An iconic ice cream shop overlooking the Grand River that closed its doors in October after decades in business is on the verge of its second act as an extension of the brewery across the street.
For two decades Peppermint Twist Cafe/Frosty Boy served up ice cream treats, including more than 100 flurry flavor combinations, from its spot on West Grand River Avenue.
The cafe was where Jim Hilligan got his first job. He was 15 when he served ice cream to customers there. Now he and wife, Kiley Hilligan, will guide its next steps as they turn the property into The Deck, an expansion of ConfluxCity Brewing Company.
The Hilligans opened the brewery in June of 2018, investing just over $400,000 to transform a former auto repair garage and used car dealership at the corner of West Grand River Avenue and North Water Street. Now they create and serve up 12 different house-made beers, along with house-made ciders and wines.
The goal, Jim Hilligan said, is to transform the cafe into a seasonal offshoot of ConfluxCity Brewing, offering customers table service from its large deck, and spots to relax at a beer garden they'll create just off the water.
“We’re going to turn it into our summertime destination,” he said.
A family business
There are already family and business ties binding ConfluxCity Brewing and Peppermint Twist Cafe/Frosty Boy.
Jim Hilligan's stepmother, Loralee Hilligan, owned the ice cream shop for 20 years.
She remodeled the cafe utilizing 1950s-style diners as inspiration, putting in checkered flooring, metal tables and red-and-white-striped chairs when she bought the business.
After ConfluxCity Brewing opened across the street the cafe's kitchen began creating food for brewery customers. A few months into the partnership Confluxcity staff took over the cafe's kitchen, using it to create the brewery's menu, while Loralee Hilligan continued to run the ice cream operation.
She never regretted buying the shop and serving up ice cream from the 1,200-square-foot cafe, Loralee Hilligan said.
"It was just a fun, pleasant atmosphere to be in all of the time," she said. "I mostly liked the look on little kids’ faces when they came up to get ice cream because they were so excited and couldn’t wait to tell you what they wanted."
Her staff added new flurry combinations to the menu constantly, and customers occasionally offered up their own suggestions, Loralee Hilligan said.
"If it was real good we’d put it on the menu and name it after them," she said.
Deciding to close the business, and turn the property over to Jim and Kiley Hilligan, was emotional, Loralee Hilligan said, but it was time.
"When you’ve had a business for that long you kind of become part of it," she said. "I just kind of think I’m getting to that point. It’s time to do something else."
The ice cream cafe served its last customers during Portland's 150th anniversary celebration in October.
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Summertime plans
His stepmother's cafe is located on a beautiful piece of property, Jim Hilligan said, and ConfluxCity Brewing plans to enhance and work with what the property already offers.
When it opens, hopefully by fall, he said, The Deck will offer seating for 30 to 50 people on its existing 1,200-square-foot outdoor deck. Customers will be able to sit down and order drinks and food there from the end of May to October.
The interior of The Deck will mirror the interior at the brewery, he said. It's a look he and Kiley have called "rustic industrial," a mix of barn wood that came from their 100-acre family farm in Portland and from farms their relatives own as well as metal.
The building will get fresh paint and railing will be replaced on its deck. A new stairwell will be constructed leading from the deck to a beer garden, that will offer seating, a firepit and games.
The kitchen could get some renovations too, for efficiency.
The goal, Jim Hilligan said, is to open The Deck sometime this summer or early fall.
“That may be a dream but we like to dream big,” he said.
Customers can expect to see some signage advertising the expansion this winter.
“We want to show people what the place is going to look like on the walls so that when people are walking by they can check it out,” Jim Hilligan said.
Keeping the property viable is important, he said.
“It’s been in my family for so long. I don’t want it to fade away. I want to turn it into something that people will really enjoy, and not let it just slowly go out of business. We’re trying to revamp it, make it look really nice and do something that Portland can be proud of.”
Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ.
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January 06, 2020 at 06:00PM
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Portland brewery expanding with renovation of iconic ice cream shop - Lansing State Journal
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