Chilly Willy on Life Support
In a turn of events that will make it mercifully more difficult for me to gain weight, Chilly Willy’s ice cream on 2nd St. is apparently dunzo. Employee Katie told me that within a few weeks, Willy's, which serves hand-dipped Hershey’s Ice Cream among other frozen confections, will be pushing coffee and donuts. I asked her what the place would be called, and she said she had, “no idea.” I also got a dish of ice cream. Of course.
Ron Kamionka was listed as the owner of Chilly Willy's on the City of Harrisburg press release that announced its opening on June 6, 2007. If he still owns it, the new venture will be his second in Harrisburg this month after he opened Sam Bucca’s Pizza Pub two weeks ago. The yet-to-be-named coffee shop may not be long for this world anyway if the proposed 210 North Second project moves forward.
There was another line in Chilly Willy’s grand opening press release that I found interesting:
“Soon, the new establishment, called Chilly Willy’s, will also begin offering a full range of beverages and, with a state liquor license, will serve Irish coffees, aperitifs and crème de menthe parfaits as after-dinner treats for patrons of all nearby restaurants.”
Needless to say, this did not happen for one reason or another. As a former ice cream slinger (Hershey’s Ice Cream Freezer Class of ’05, baby) and a devoted lover of Cookies ‘n Cream, this makes me a bit sad. It’s amazing to me that with all of the midday foot traffic in Harrisburg, an ice cream parlor can’t make a go of it.
2 comments so far. Sweet.
I think this is more a fact that an ice cream stand is a seasonal business, and we are rapidly approaching the end of the season. Nobody's gonna get to go ice cream in the winter, but coffee could do it, especially with the demise of starbucks. Chillie Willie's wasn't open last winter either.
:(