By now, many local residents have noticed that colorful, eye-catching trailer parked in front of the vacant building on U.S. 63 in Houston, between Casey’s General Store and Corner Express.
It’s home to Twirlees Ice Cream, a business that opened on Tuesday of last week. It’s also home to the Twirlee, a frozen treat similar to Dairy Queen’s Blizzard.
The store is owned by Yukon resident Tony Bieller, who runs it along with his wife, Debbie, son Garrett, and daughters Caitlyn and Briana. Based on soft-serve ice cream, the menu features several flavors of Twirlees (including cookies and cream, Snickers, Reese’s Pieces and Butterfinger), along with sundaes, shakes, floats and swirl cones.
“We can pretty much serve anything you might get at any soft-serve establishment,” Bieller said. “We use high-quality ice cream and our customers will find that our prices are reasonable and competitive. We even have things for a dollar or less.”
Twirlees is a Canadian company based in Carlisle, Ontario. Bieller said things didn’t work out when the firm attempted to move into the U.S. several years ago, and Twirlees equipment that was more or less left behind became available to independent operators, with the purchase price including use of the name and logo.
He said he has for a long time wanted to open an ice cream shop in Houston, but hadn’t found the right structure until seeing the 2011 model Twirlees trailer online and acquiring it May 26.
Bieller traveled to Maryland to get it.
“It was a long haul back,” he said. “But it’s a really neat concept and in the short time we’ve been open it has shown what I thought it would by getting kids to want their parents to bring them here.
“I didn’t think a normal trailer would create that ‘buzz,’ but the look this has really gets peoples’ attention.”
The Biellers formerly ran a dairy farm on their Yukon property and Tony now drives a truck and Debbie is close to earning a teaching degree. Tony is also a member of the Texas County Fair Board, and is known for setting up a produce stand each summer on U.S. 63 in front of Crowley’s Homeworks, which this year will be found alongside Twirlees.
“We’ve been well appreciated for our produce, and we wanted to continue having a good product in the ice cream business,” he said. “We didn’t feel like there was a wide variety of frozen treats in Houston, so that’s what we were after.”
Bieller said he and his crew of family members will be glad to make things that aren’t on the menu if their inventory of supplies allows.
“If you don’t see it, ask,” he said, “and we’ll make it if we have the ingredients.”
Giving his kids an opportunity to be a part of a functional business is something Beiller said makes the Twirlees operation that much better.
“It’s a great way to teach them about business before they get out in the world,” he said. “They’ve done well with the produce, and this will be a great tool to really give them a head start.”
Twirlees is open 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Bieller said intends for the store to be open into October and reopen again in April.
“I think for a cloudy, drizzly day, our opening day turned out great, and the community showed up and supported us,” Bieller said. “I think this is going to do just what I thought and meet our hopes and expectations.”
For information, call Debbie Bieller at 417-763-5578.
We didn’t feel like there was a wide variety of frozen treats in Houston, so that’s what we were after.”