A popular ice cream shop founded in Florida more than 25 years ago — and now with locations across the country — is poised to expand to Florida’s Gulf Coast, including Sarasota.
Known for what it describes as award-winning luxury ice cream, rotating handmade flavors and whimsical, hot pink décor, Sloan’s Ice Cream plans to expand to Florida’s west coast in early 2027 with shops on St. Armands Circle and at Babcock Ranch in Charlotte County.
Sloan Kamenstein of Palm Beach opened the first Sloan’s in West Palm Beach in 1999, and the company started offering franchises in 2012. It now has eight shops in South Florida, along with locations in Ohio, Texas, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
“St. Armands is one of the highest trafficked tourist areas in the entire
state,” David Wild, director of franchising at Sloan’s Ice Cream, told the Herald-Tribune. “We’ve been looking at trying to find a good site there over the past 10 years.”
When several storefronts became available in the aftermath of the 2024 hurricane season, the company worked with Chris Bauman of American Property Group to secure the 1,450-square-foot storefront at 380B St. Armands Circle, near South Boulevard of the Presidents.
That location, Bauman noted, puts them in a crosswalk area, as well as just a couple of storefronts down from Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream.
There are already dedicated ice cream or gelato shops on St. Armands, including Kilwins and Settimi’s Gelato and several other shops that sell ice cream and candy.
Wild said that an abundance of options will work for everyone.
“It’s a competitive marketplace for sure,” Wild said. “We’re all vying for the same people.
“What we have found also is that when you add a lot of dessert to an area, it creates it as a destination,” he added.
What’s different about Sloan’s Ice Cream shops?
Sarasota resident Sohrab Khadivian had been seeking a franchise for about two years, in part to give his teenage children a place to work and learn.
He found Sloan’s while searching for franchise opportunities, talked with Wild and visited the original store on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach.
“When I saw their first store, I thought, ‘Oh my God this is it, this is what I’ve been looking for,’” Khadivian said.
“It's just an incredibly beautiful place,” he added. “I can't say enough about it and I wanted to be a part of it.”
Wild said, “We are a Willy Wonka of sorts — we have toys, we have candies, chocolates, fudge, cookies, cakes.”
“It’s all put together in this bright pink store with chandeliers, very eclectically designed,” he continued. “That’s fun all on its own.
“Kids, their excitement level is 10 out of 10 just walking in,” Wild said.
What makes Sloan’s Ice Cream unique?
Wild said that all of Sloan’s flavors are made by hand, typically with 16% butterfat, dense and creamy.
Because the flavors are handmade, the flavors can use larger chunks of the good stuff — whether it’s Oreo cookies, cookie dough or Snickers bars — in the ice cream.
“It’s a very unique texture and the inclusions of the product are different from anything you get anywhere else,” Wild said.
Can’t wait until 2027?
In addition to offering ice cream at its storefronts, Sloan’s Ice Cream can sell several of its popular flavors through Goldbelly.com.
For more information, visit sloansicecream.com.
Earle Kimel primarily covers local governments in Sarasota County as well as land development and environmental issues for the Herald-Tribune. Follow him on Facebook, and X. He can be reached by email at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Luxury ice cream shop making sweet Sarasota debut | Exclusive
