The landmark Dreamette ice cream shop, founded in the Murray Hill area of Jacksonville, is adding a location in Dunn Village in Northwest Jacksonville.
Rowe’s IGA Supermarket anchors the shopping center at Dunn Avenue and New Kings Road in the Dinsmore area.
It will be the ninth Dreamette since the original opened 75 years ago.
Dreamette serves shakes, banana splits, sundaes, soft serve cones and cups, dips, freezes, slushes and more.
Edwin Williams Jr., the licensee of the new shop, said he intended to open Dreamette – Dinsmore about Oct. 1, pending permits.
“I looked at the Northside and it is underserved for food and entertainment,” Williams said.
“There are a lot of food places but not a lot of sweets. And it is one of the fastest-growing areas of Jacksonville.”
Williams said it will be good location “as well as catching the people coming from Georgia and Callahan.”
He said the shopping center is nearing full occupancy.
“Dreamette is recognized in the Jacksonville area,” Williams said.
“I went there as a child and a lot of other people went as a child. This is what I wanted to be a part of,” he said.
Dreamette owner Johnny Nettles said July 25 that the new shop is drawing attention for Williams.
“He’s been hearing a lot of buzz about it,” Nettles said.
Nettles said that in addition to the original Dreamette he owns in Murray Hill, there are licensed shops in Springfield, San Marco, Atlantic Beach, St. Johns County and three in Clay County.
The city is reviewing a permit for Robert Davis Construction Inc. of Jacksonville to renovate 1,185 square feet of space for Dreamette at 6765 Dunn Ave. at an estimated cost of $25,000.
A site plan by landlord Saglo shows Dreamette in 1,200 square feet at B-325 next to Arble Bakery.
Plans show two front windows will be converted into sliding windows for walk-up service.
Williams said there will be limited exterior seating and no inside seats.
The original Dreamette ice cream shop opened in October 1948 at 3646 Post St. in Murray Hill, near Riverside and Avondale.
Nettles, who retired from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, bought it in 2008 and is the fifth owner since it opened.
He said Dreamette has trade name license agreements for the other eight 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,” he said previously.
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.”
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.”
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. Conie’s plans to expand into College Park in Arlington.