Visitors to Mahone Bay are greeted almost immediately by a colourful little building on the waterfront across from Keddy’s Landing.
The little turquoise, white and yellow building is home to the Seaside Creamery, a student-run ice cream shop (which also sells a mean lobster roll among other things).
The creamery was started by businessman Mark Lowe, owner of Keddy’s Landing, as a way to teach students about entrepreneurship. He parked the building on the waterfront across from Keddy’s Landing, and it has become a popular and successful small business.
The creamery employs 15 students in Grades 9-12 who work between 20-25 hours a week, and by all accounts they love working there.
Hannah Allen,15, began working there last August and says it has been a great experience.
“I have learned all about customer service and food service but what I would really miss if it closed is the connections I have made. I made such great friends here and I have gotten to know a lot of our regular customers…I would really miss those connections.”
Mahone Bay council is looking to amend the current by-law concerning temporary vending permits and special events permits, and that is where Lowe has run into a snag. While he does own the property it is zoned as waterfront and the current by-law does not allow for any structures to be placed on it.
Mayor David Devenne says that there has been a lot of discussion about the Seaside Creamery. The by-law in play has been on the books for 12 years and it became clear that there needed to be regulations on how and when temporary eateries would be allowed to operate.
“There have been a number of issues raised, and what has been recommended is that the current by-law which encompasses both temporary vending and special events permits, be separated,” he said.
The new by-law would limit the creamery to operating one week a month and Lowe says that just won’t work.
“The students have been extremely successful in the business and obviously it’s rubbed somebody in the town the wrong way because they are bent on shutting us down,” he said.
Mayor Devenne says that isn’t the case.
“This is not an issue with him, it’s a town-wide issue. It’s council deciding what’s best for the town, not for one business, not for one property, but what is best for the town,” he said.
Lowe says that they have put a call out to the community asking for support to stop the by-law change and have already recieved hundreds of emails from as far away as the UK.
The town has offered a permanent place for the business to set up but Lowe says while he could move it he doesn’t want to.
“It’s a unique property and I hate to move it, and I don’t want to show the kids any kind of defeat. Ultimately in the end if they do stop us, we’ll do something else. I’m not going to abandon these kids.”
Council meets July 14 for a first reading of the proposed by-law.
