NORMAN — A play on words, unusual horror flick décor and tasty treats has created a steady stream of business for The Ice Creamatory in Norman.
Owned by former Long Island, New York, residents Jimmy and Melissa Mikowski, the ice cream shop at 1200 12th Avenue SE is different and unique with posters, paintings and furniture that depict some of the best cinematic horror such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, Friday the 13th and more. There’s also a coffee table that resembles a coffin.
“We love horror movies, and we love Halloween and the fall,” Jimmy Mikowski said. “We have big plans for sure this Halloween with costumes, getting dressed up and face painting.”
The horror movie motif has attracted many customers, including Oklahoma City residents Jacqueline Kuykendall and Elizabeth Heinlen who said they saw a TikTok focused on the ice cream shop’s decorations and wanted to try it. Both women said they were first-time customers. Horror filmmaker Jeff Richardson and his family wanted to see the décor and find out firsthand what separates The Ice Creamatory from other corporate-owned ice cream stores.
Other customers have come from faraway places like Elk City, Tulsa, Dallas, and Portland, Oregon.
The TikTok, Mikowski said, received “hundreds of thousands” of views and shares since it was made a few months ago by a food blogger. Actually, close to 500,000 people have seen the video, according to TikTok figures.
“Business has been incredible,” he said. “Even before the TikTok video was made, it was steady.”
Now, The Ice Creamatory crew can be seen putting together close to 50 orders within the first two hours of opening and on most days Mikowski and his team are taking 150 orders of the Halloween themed menu items.
“The wait can be extensive, but it’s worth it,” he said. “It’s not a regular ice cream experience.”
On some days, the wait times can be as long as 30 to 45 minutes. In those cases, customers are given a number and told to return for their order. Once the order is filled, it’s placed in the freezer and then delivered to the customer when they return.
Menu items are reflective of the owners’ love for horror movies with names like Wednesday Addams, Elm Street, Trick or Treat, Mrs. Voorhees’ Apple Pie, Captain Spaulding, The Boogeyman and Hocus Pocus. Each item is made with vanilla or chocolate ice cream blended with different cereals and combined with a variety of toppings and drizzles.
For example, Elm Street is blended with ice cream and Reese’s Puffs and Cocoa Pebbles, then topped with chocolate chips, red sprinkles and raspberry drizzle.
Customer favorites have proven to be Boogie Man, Wednesday Addams from the movie The Addams Family and Captain Spaulding, a character from the movie House of 1,000 Corpses.
The couple didn’t start the ice cream shop on a whim.
After working for the New York Air National Guard, Mikowski and his wife, an employee at the Nassau County Police Department, decided to be their own bosses.
“We’re foodies and we’re kids with a dream,” he said. “We’re working for ourselves and not having to do the 9 to 5 thing.”
After a stint in Texas with the military, they decided the Longhorn state wasn’t for them. Instead, they decided on Oklahoma and picked Norman as their landing spot thanks to a suggestion from Melissa.
“In Norman and in Oklahoma, in general, people love small businesses. We’ve made so many friends. When we close up at night, people are still here hanging out and they help us clean and take out the trash. We fell in love with Norman. It’s a great community of customers.
Among the customers is OU starting linebacker Danny Stutsman who frequents the ice cream shop regularly, Mikowski said.
The Mikowskis held a soft opening on Halloween weekend 2022 and hosted a grand opening on Nov. 18.
The Ice Creamatory is open 3-10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2-8 p.m. on Sunday.
For the menu and more details, visit www.theicecreamatory.com.