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'50s-
themed parlor has the scoop on kids'
parties
BY
TAMMY McKILLIP Correspondent
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| Top: Little Scoops owners Carmela
Danna (l) and her sister, Maria Lidondici,
stand along one of the many decorated walls in
their new business. Bottom left: Little Scoops
is decorated in the theme of a 1950s ice cream
parlor, complete with checkered floors, jukebox
and spinning stools. Bottom right: Among the
throwback decorations are a rotary phone and
signs for sundaes priced 35 cents and
under.
| | ABERDEEN
- Carmela Danna is too young to remember the
happy days of bobby socks, bubble gum and drive-in
movie theaters, but she knows a cute franchise
idea when she sees one.
When she and her sister, Old Bridge resident
and mother of three Maria Lidondici, decided
to open a business together, they went for the
feel good-themed ice cream parlor, Little
Scoops.
"I like the style," she said of the
Ushaped ice cream bar with kid-sized
bar stools. "There's a black and white checkered
floor, and old albums are stapled all over the
walls in our celebration room."
Danna, who recently left a banking career to
pursue entrepreneurship, said opening a birthday
and specialty scoop shop was a great idea because
she figured, "Hey, everyone loves their birthday!"
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| PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff
| | Hosting
the store's grand-opening celebration on Sept. 30,
Danna said she loved the idea of working with kids
and that she and her sister had planned many games
and activities for birthday and special occasion
celebrations.
"When we bring the kids into the celebration
room, they can choose age-appropriate activities
or games, or they can choose a theme," she said.
"We have plenty of themes to choose from, such as
princess, pirate or superhero, or arts and
crafts."
She said all of the shop's ice cream flavors
- including vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, mint
chocolate chip, cookie dough and cotton candy -
were Edy's brand ice cream and would be served
along with pizza, sodas and juice at the parties.
"We even have a CD jukebox," she said.
Little Scoops is located in the Stop &
Shop shopping plaza at 1121 Route 34,
Aberdeen. There is a minimum of 10 children
during the week and 15 during the weekend. Hours
of operation are Monday through Friday from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m., with Tuesdays staying open until 6
p.m. Weekends are reserved for parties
exclusively. Call (732) 566-0404 for reservations.
For more information, visit http://www.littlescoops.com/.
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