If you are ever craving a scoop of ice cream on a hot summer day or even a cold winter night, Terry’s Old Fashion Ice Cream Shop in Marblehead is the place for you.
Sitting at 22 Atlantic Ave., Terry’s has been a Marblehead staple since owner Carlos Rocha opened it in 2013. He said the shop is named after his wife Terry.
Terry’s is designed to look exactly what you would expect it to look like, old fashioned. With a jukebox, black and white tiled floors, and pictures of icons such as Marilyn Monroe, a 1950s theme is apparent.
At Terry’s you can get scoops, soft serve, frozen yogurt, smoothies, and sorbet. There is also a vast array of toppings that customers can choose from.
Richardsons Farm in Middleton provides Terry’s with their ice cream. Rocha said he has been using Richardsons’ products for years.
His favorite flavor of ice cream changes a lot.
“When you have a lot it’s very difficult to say, because they’re all good,” Rocha said. “Sometimes vanilla, sometimes coffee or oreo, sometimes moose tracks, it depends.”
Rocha said he opened Terry’s because he has been in the ice cream business his whole life, and he wanted to give neighborhood kids a place to hangout.
“I can do other stuff besides ice cream, but I would love to keep the good business going,” Rocha said. “I opened the store because kids love to come to Terry’s.”
The winter months are hard for an ice cream shop, he said.
“In the winter months you make just enough money to go by,” Rocha said. “You don’t see any profit out of it because some days you do okay and some days you’re doing bad.”
As with most other ice cream businesses, summer is when Terry’s sees the most business.
“Summertime is the main thing,” Rocha said. “Summertime is super busy.”
Terry’s also has an ice cream truck that gets brought out during the summer. Normally it is used for special occasions, but during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic he brought it out to the beaches.
This year the truck will make its debut in late May, he said.