In the fall of 2024, Julia Bailey and her father were heading home after checking out an ice cream shop for her to purchase in Huntingdon Valley.
Her father, John, told her the story of his mother, Mary Eleanor “Polly” Bailey, who used to joke when farm life in Wrightstown was tough in the 1970s that she wanted to leave it all behind to open an ice cream shop.
“I was working at the same township doing administrative work for a year, which is what Polly did for her entire career,” Julia explained. “I had been hearing a lot about her from my parents the year before, and there I was reading her old handwritten notes. It seemed fitting to start this ice cream shop that was inspired by her.”
Julia appreciated her grandmother’s work ethic and wisdom and took this as a sign that she should take ownership of her proud woman-owned business that opened on Sept. 20, 2024.
Very quickly, Polly’s Ice Cream and Espresso became an integral part of the Huntingdon Valley community, drawing a steady flow of multi-generational regulars.
“Named in memory of our grandmother, Polly, we’re committed to great products and even better service,” explains Julia. “We can’t wait to help you and your family make some sweet memories.”
A photo of Grandma Polly on her tractor proudly sits on the extensive ice cream case.
“I went to school for agricultural business, and I knew I wanted to own some sort of small business,” Julia says.
“I grew up on Polly’s Farm in Bucks County, so I always had an interest in food, and this place just became available at a time that I was looking to start something new.”
She said the former owners were motivated to sell the shop and move on, and it was an extremely quick transition
“I was working my office job, around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, and I opened here the next Friday.”
As one of the signs on the shop’s wall, decorated with multi-colored sprinkled wallpaper, exclaims, “Life is better with ice cream.”
Polly’s offers 27 flavors of Richman’s Ice Cream on a rotating basis, which are scooped by Julia and students from Lower Moreland High School and Archbishop Wood High School. People enjoy coming in person or using DoorDash to deliver their sweet treats.
Among the favorites are vanilla bean, chocolate chip, mint chocolate chip, death by chocolate, cookie dough, salted caramel pretzel, vanilla peanut butter, banana pudding, coconut, pistachio almond, strawberry cheesecake, and children enjoy birthday cake and cotton candy. The shop also sells sugar-free and dairy-free flavors.
Polly’s extensive menu includes one-, two- and three-scoop cones, cookie sandwiches, as well as shakes, ice cream sodas and floats, banana splits, sundaes and brownie sundaes, made with a variety of toppings. Julia also offers “charcuterie-type” to-go boxes with toppings, cones and ice cream for parties at home.
She says the two areas that she intends to continue to stand out in are exemplary customer service and cleanliness, standards by which she judges other businesses.
“I can’t take credit for making the ice cream, but I can take credit for how nice my staff and I are to the customers and how clean the place is.”
Although the business is still young, she says it already feels like an integral part of the community.
“I already have a lot of regulars. I have an older couple that came all winter, and when they would leave, they would sing us a goodbye song. When they didn’t come in for a few weeks, we started to worry about them,” Julia said.
“Then they came back and reassured us they were just on vacation. Now they make a point of letting us know whenever they are leaving town.”
Adding a shot of espresso
So, why offer espresso with the ice cream? A unique aspect of Polly’s is the espresso.
“I knew that I was going to be spending a lot of hours here, and I love my coffee. One of the favorite offerings is affogato, which is a scoop of any flavor ice cream with a shot of espresso poured over the top.
“A lot of people don’t know what it is, and once they hear about it, they simply love it,” Julia says. “There are a lot of ice cream shops, but very few that serve espresso. It has resulted in many happy regulars, who might not have come in without it.”
Navigating a loss of power
On Thursday, June 19, Huntingdon Valley and the surrounding towns lost power during an extremely rough storm. Julia drove to Wrightstown to get her house generator. While she was heading back to Polly’s, members of the Huntingdon Valley Fire Company offered food and blankets, but she was already prepared.
The family has close ties with local fire companies since Julia’s dad, John, is the Deputy Chief of Lingohocken Fire Company. John and HV Fire Company Chief Ted Middleman are longtime friends, and Ted’s daughter is one of Julia’s ice cream scoopers.
“Even though Huntingdon Valley isn’t my home community, from the first day I felt welcomed here, which is extremely important for a new business,” Julia explained.
“My dad and I slept here Thursday night to make sure everything was OK. We were able to save the freezers, and on Friday, the first official day of summer, I scooped in the dark for as long as I could. It was pretty rough, but we did everything we could to make sure we were still here and able to open.”
Expanding Polly’s Ice Cream
Julia says she is eager to get into more community outreach with additional fundraisers and be able to go to more places with a catering truck.
“The first weekend after I opened, we catered ice cream for the Huntingdon Valley Fire Company’s Fire Prevention Open House,” she says. “We will be doing it again for the station’s Open House in October. I plan to do more special events in the future.” ••
For More Information:
Polly’s Ice Cream and Espresso
Address: 715 Fetters Mill Square, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 (across the courtyard from Ricardo’s Restaurant)
Hours: Open Year Around — Wednesday through Saturday, 1-9 p.m., and Sunday, 1-8 p.m.
Website: https://www.pollysicecreamespresso.com/
Phone: 215-595-8857
