In the beginning...
By 1997, the Denton Historic Square had lost its luster — and the large building that’s now home of Beth Marie's and More Fun Toys had been empty for two years with a "For Lease" sign collecting dust in the window.
After a lengthy negotiation, Bob Moses finally purchased the building in March of 1998.
First and foremost, Bob wanted to be in Denton where his daughter settled down after graduating from UNT. He also wanted a space to store items for his European glass art distribution business, as well as a space for his wife to run a boutique called Elements of Design.
Beth Marie and Dr. Randy Cox came knocking in July, wanting to lease a section of the building to run an ice cream shop. Bob agreed to let them turn the west side of his building into a photogenic 50's-style ice cream parlor tiled with black-and-white checkered flooring.
Little did Bob know they would be launching a local business that would become an iconic legacy in Denton for years to come.
Soon after opening, it became an instant success.
A New Dynamic Trio Steps In
Five years later, Beth Marie and Randy decided to sell the growing business.
Bob's entrepreneurial sense quickly kicked in, knowing he had to keep the show going. After all, the Denton square was starting to become a more popular hot-spot for locals.
But he didn't have any experience running a restaurant or ice cream shop — his background was working across the world for Texas Instruments (for 30 years!), running a glass distribution business, and helping his wife run the boutique next door for several years.
So he called up fellow Denton Main Street Association board member Ken Willis — someone with an extensive background in restaurant management including Grandy's for 20 years and owner of Denton's former Ruby's Diner for 15 years (where Cartwright's Ranch House now resides). Ken's father also owned a popular steakhouse in Denton called The Charcoal Broiler.
Basically, Ken grew up in the industry since childhood.
Bob was thankful when Ken agreed to join him as a partner in the business. And extra thankful when Ken offered to handle the operations while he would focus on promotions.
But Bob didn’t stop there.
He also recruited a third partner to help unlock big ideas and assist with important decision-making to run a successful business.
Jim Engelbrecht, a friend of Bob’s, was a top-tier psychologist in Dallas and agreed to join forces with Beth Marie’s Ltd. for many years. With much sadness, Jim passed away a couple of years ago. But his wife, Pat, now helps fill his shoes when needed.
Since 2003, Bob Moses, Ken Willis and Jim Engelbrecht have not only successfully run Beth Marie's Ltd., but they’ve also expanded the ice cream shop to multiple locations in North Texas: Unicorn Lake in Denton and downtown Carrollton.
With Ken's extensive background in the restaurant industry and working with commercial retailers, he helped create a wholesale partnership with Central Market to sell several of their pint-sized flavors.
Typically a retail relationship with this well-known grocery store would only last a few years — but since 2010, Beth Marie's Ice Cream has been a keeper and still being sold in Central Market locations across Texas.
Central Market has even asked Beth Marie's to create unique flavors of ice cream to sell in their stores, like Tomato Basil made with special heirloom tomatoes that only Central Market has been able to provide. The grocery chain provided a solid path of opportunity for Beth Marie's that would help them scale for years to come.
Beth Marie's Ice Cream is being sold across various local restaurants, shops and hotels, as well.
They have unique clients, too.
Like a successful Dallas-based food truck business selling only alcohol-flavored ice cream made by Beth Marie's. Some of the popular flavors range from Hennessy whiskey to Boone's Farm sweet wines.
You can still request an available alcohol-flavored ice cream at the Denton Square location.
Denton's Favorite Ice Cream Shop
Using the same old-fashioned 1920's style ice cream maker since the shop opened, Beth Marie's has been selling a rainbow of inventive flavors to local patrons-turned-fans.
When it comes to making new flavors, Ken is typically the brain behind the ever-evolving menu. But he gets inspiration from others, too.
During a fun night out with local entrepreneur friends at Sweetwater Grill & Tavern, they came up with the Red Wine & Bleu flavor: a mix of bleu cheese and Texas port wine.
His long-time employees will even win him over to create a great flavor with their name on it, like Emily's Campfire. However, if the flavor gets sold to commercial retail shops, the name has to be removed.
Beth Marie’s also donates to the annual Serve Denton live auction, allowing the winning bidder to "Create Your Own Ice Cream" flavor. The highest bid they've seen is $1,100. One of the past winning bidders was Frenchy, who got his own orange sherbet flavor.
Ken and Bob reminisce on the popular Pokemon Go era, when over a thousand people were on the square at one time trying to capture Pokemon. This huge influx of folks crashed the internet in the area over the weekend, causing issues for many businesses needing the internet for credit card processing.
But despite the challenges of customers facing long waiting lines due to longer checkout times, the Pokemon phase was actually great for business.
Beth Marie's was one of the main stations to charge, which brought people in the door. And Ken created a new Pokemon flavor per week that became a big hit for players during that time.
The great thing about Beth Marie’s is that every single one of their fun flavors can be enjoyed in more ways than a traditional scoop-in-a-cone. You can order most flavors in a shake or sundae! The options are truly endless.
But our love for their delicious ice cream doesn't stop with our taste buds.
It's also been a beacon for romantics — from date nights to proposals and engagement photo shoots. I was even engaged on the Denton Square after getting Beth Marie's ice cream to-go. It was peppermint ice cream (my personal favorite).
There's just something truly special about this place.
Then Came COVID-19
Owning an ice cream shop is a seasonal-dependent business. But Beth Marie's has survived every rainy day, cold winter, and economic crisis the past 17 years. Because all 60+ of their ice cream flavors are crave-worthy year round.
When COVID-19 busted through the atmosphere, everything took a hit — and Beth Marie's was no exception.
Their busiest summer months were at the forefront of the pandemic, causing an extreme slowdown in sales. And on top of the loss in business, many employees left because they knew they could make more money from unemployment checks while staying home.
Ken knew it was time to make some pivots to stay afloat, so he grabbed the reins and jumped on a few unique opportunities that hadn't been done since the shop's inception.
Offering curbside pickup and partnering with delivery services (like GrubHub and DoorDash) helped save the day. And those pivots are still something Bob and Ken find very valuable — ones they hope to keep around as an evergreen service for customers.
Popups and outdoor tents at Unicorn Lake in Denton have also been very effective.
Beth Marie's also partnered up with neighboring businesses for a "locals helping locals" support powerhouse. Beth Marie’s sells family game night packs including hand-picked items from More Fun Comics & Games and goodies from Atomic Candy. The Chestnut Tree also sells dinner boxes which include a small container of Beth Marie's Ice Cream.
Before the pandemic, Beth Marie's was already practicing top-level health measures to ensure the safety of their employees and customers. However, they've added on a few extreme measures to go above and beyond: getting a UV light for sanitation, social distancing markers, clear protective screens, employees wearing masks and gloves, and much more.
Despite the slowdown in patron sales, Beth Marie’s gained a new commercial client during the pandemic: Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, Texas. This massive, award-winning family resort offers Beth Marie’s in their onsite ice cream parlor called The Last Bite.
As far as expanding Beth Marie’s into more commercial and retail locations across Texas, Ken and Bob have some solid plans in mind.
Currently offering a multi-level "licensee program," meeting the needs of small mom-and-pop shops to commercial clients, they know getting a franchise license may be required in the near future.
However, even with future plans of allowing their business model to become a franchise, Ken wants to make sure it remains a Texas company with Texas products — so they plan to limit it to a regional franchise opportunity once they cross that bridge.
They've even turned down large retailers like Tom Thumb, who wanted to sell their ice cream in all 300+ locations across the U.S. (including Safeway, Randalls, and Albertsons).
Not to mention, all the ice cream that is sold anywhere in Texas is made right there in the back room of the Denton square location, and everything is hand-packed and hand-labeled.
They simply don't have the space or “factory-line” power to produce that many tubs of ice cream for a nationwide demand — they're already making thousands of gallons per week.
Ken and Bob will be sticking to regional-based client operations like the good 'ol Texans they are. Everything is better in Texas, after all.
New Year, New Rules
- Got an expired Beth Marie's coupon? No worries, they'll still accept it!
- Switch up your traditional scoop of tasty goodness and turn it into a shake or a sundae the next time you come in. Most flavors can be transformed into a delicious shake or a custom sundae using your fav flavs.
- Want something unique not on the menu? Ask which alcohol-flavored ice creams are available, or ask for Ken's secret menu. I know you're curious.
- Too cold to go outside? Stay warm by your cozy fireplace or relax in your fuzzy socks and order Beth Marie's using GrubHub and DoorDash. The ice cream is put in a hard freezer to ensure its perfect consistency is met when it arrives at your door.
Become a True Fan!
Other than enjoying ice cream at Beth Marie's, don't forget to like/follow them on social media to stay in the loop with their events, updates and offerings.
Interested in joining the Beth Marie's family? They're hiring!
