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Ice Cream Shop Will Try Its Luck After 2 Others Close on Same Queens Street

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | March 30, 2017 10:45am | Updated on March 31, 2017 4:47pm
 I.CE.NY, a franchise with seven other locations throughout the country, will soon launch its first Queens store at 71-24 Austin St. 
I.CE.NY, a franchise with seven other locations throughout the country, will soon launch its first Queens store at 71-24 Austin St. 
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I.CE.NY/Facebook

QUEENS — A new ice cream shop that serves Thai-style ice cream rolls is opening soon on Austin Street, despite fierce competition that drove out two ice cream parlors there last year. 

I.CE.NY, a franchise with seven other locations throughout the country, will launch its first Queens store at 71-24 Austin St. in the heart of Forest Hills later this week or early next month, said owner Sachin Verma.

The new spot will offer a slew of desserts, including Thai-style ice cream rolls, which are made in front of customers who can watch as an ice cream base is poured over an iced plate and then scraped into several rolls and served with different toppings.

The frozen treats, which will cost $7 a serving, will come in 13 flavors, including taro, green tea, strawberry, chocolate, cheesecake and banana pudding, Verma said.

The parlor is also planning to offer crepes, waffles, fresh juices and smoothies in the future, he said.

I.CE.NY will soon open at 71-24 Austin St., next door to Shake Shack. (Photo: DNAinfo/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska)

Verma said he is positive the store will be successful, even though two other ice cream parlors closed in the area recently. Snow Story, which also offered Thai-style ice cream rolls, only lasted five months after it opened at 72-38 Austin St. last June.

A Haagen-Dazs store at 70-40 Austin St. closed last September after more than two decades in business. 

Owners and employees of those stores listed a variety of reasons for their closures, including high rent and declining demand due to fierce competition.

Other shops selling ice cream and frozen treats in the neighborhood include Snowdays, a shaved cream shop at 72-24 Austin St. which opened last May, Shake Shack, at 71-26 Austin St., which serves frozen custard, and a nearby Dunkin Donuts, at 73-02 Austin St., which offers Baskin-Robbins ice cream.

Verma said he was glad that his store was located next door to Shake Shack because he was hoping some of its customers will stop by for ice cream after having a burger. 

“I’m not worried at all,” he said. “We are known for our brand.”