The landmark Dreamette ice cream shop, founded in the Murray Hill area of Jacksonville, is branching into Atlantic Beach and Orange Park.
Dreamette-Sailfish LLC registered the Dreamette Atlantic Beach name for 61 Sailfish Drive E. in Atlantic Beach. It is the former Southern Originals in Glass shop.
State records show that William Kurtz and Melissa Kurtz are the managers of Dreamette-Sailfish LLC.
Will Kurtz is a lawyer with The Law Offices of William W. Kurtz Jr. in Downtown Jacksonville.
Kurtz said Sept. 12 that the couple hopes to open the Dreamette Atlantic Beach in December or, based on supply chain issues, early 2023.
'Low price and high quality'
“For 15 years we lived in Avondale within walking distance of the original Dreamette and our kids grew up on Dreamette Ice Cream,” Kurtz said Sept. 12 by email.
“We have always loved the low price and high quality of Dreamette Ice Cream and when we discovered opportunities were available to open other shops it was an easy decision for us.”
Kurtz said they chose Atlantic Beach “because we believe the area provides great opportunity for growth due to the high number of residences within close proximity of the shop and the ability of the residents to get to our location by golf cart, bike, or walking.”
Sailfish Drive connects with Atlantic Boulevard and is about a block east of Penman Road. Dreamette Atlantic Beach will be in the same center as Two Dudes Seafood Restaurant.
Kurtz said he and his wife will be heavily involved and their daughter will be the general manager.
He said the 800-square-foot space will have walk-up windows for ordering and pickup. There will be benches outside for sitting but no inside seating.
Cantrell & Morgan sales associate Kayla Deguzman represented the tenant in the lease.
Orange Park
In Orange Park, licensee Milford Shirley hopes to open Dreamette Plus Java at 1177 Park Ave., Suite 1, on Sept. 24.
He said Sept. 12 he would add coffee after the shop is operating.
It offers walk-in service with a window rail and maybe high-tops tables but no seating.
The shop is in a former dry cleaner so it has window service that Shirley said would be the first drive-thru Dreamette in the area.
It appears the new stores would be the sixth and seventh in operation.
This year, Dreamette Aberdeen opened in May in St. Johns County. The San Marco Dreamette opened in June and Dreamette Ice Cream Springfield in August.
Dreamette Ice Cream Middleburg opened in September 2020 at 2620 Blanding Blvd. in Clay County.
All are licensed separately and are independently owned.
The original Dreamette ice cream shop opened in October 1948 at 3646 Post St. in Murray Hill, near Riverside and Avondale. Current owner Johnny Nettles, who retired from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, bought it in 2008 and is the fifth owner since it opened.
The Murray Hill Dreamette serves shakes, banana splits, sundaes, soft serve cones and cups, dips, freezes, slushes and more.
Nettles said Dreamette has trade name license agreements for the stores.
He trains the operators how to make the menu items and run the locations.
Nettles works with licensees to ensure the menu, ingredients and recipes are the same as the original store. Nettles said a key is using the same supplies. “You have to use the best products. I use the best everything I can get.”
Nettles said his process is to see if the licensee is qualified and if the site works. “It’s all about location,” he said.
He said his group “trains you until you feel you’re comfortable. We tell you if you’re not.”
“You don’t want to look like a deer in the headlights when the lights turn on.”
He said most of the licensed locations are walk-ups with some exterior seating. Some are walk-ins but without interior seats.
“It’s a lot simpler that way.”
Shirley said he is a friend of Nettles. “He has been telling me a few years to do this,” Shirley said.
“It looks like a fun operation to run.”
With decades in food manufacturing and vending machine operations, Shirley said he was looking forward to teaching first-job kids how to work.
Nettles has licensed other locations over the years.
Dreamette Ice Cream St. Johns County opened in spring 2021 at 119 Bartram Oaks Walk at Race Track Road, but has changed its name and concept to Conie’s Ice Cream.
Nettles said Jan. 17 a Neptune Beach location operated for a few years, but its lease was not renewed and the operator opted against looking for another site.
