'A Leap Of Faith': Ice Cream Shop Expands On Long Island

COPIAGUE, NY — A family-run ice cream shop has opened its second location on Long Island.

Hershey's Ice Cream of Copiague celebrated with a soft opening on Memorial Day weekend. It's the sister-shop to the original location in West Islip, owned by Christine Morano, who bought the shop eight years ago.

Today, Hershey's served 48 flavors, including no sugar added, reduced fat and vegan options. Both shops also serve eight flavors of Hershey's Incredible Ice, ice cream sandwiches, character face pops, ice cream bars, mini cakes, boba tea, milkshakes and acai bowls. Morano also offers ice cream cart rentals for events.

The woman-owned, family-run business wasn't built on a foundation of ice cream experience, but evolved from the drive of a single mother and a little girl's dream.

"She actually bought it from the previous owner after a sweet moment with my little sister, Diana," Christine's daughter Angelica told Patch. "At her pre-K graduation, she said she wanted to own an ice cream store when she grew up. Not long after that, my mom drove past the West Islip store, saw a for sale sign in the window and decided to take a leap of faith."

That leap of faith meant a career move for Christine, who moved to Long Island over 20 years ago from Howard Beach in Queens, while working as a general manager for Domino's Pizza and raising her two daughters.

"My mom didn't have any experience at all when she bought the West Islip shop," Angelica said. "She went in completely blind and taught herself how to work with ice cream and how to make ice cream cakes."

Once the West Islip shop was up and running, Christine dreamed of expanding the business, but stayed focused and waited until the time was right.

"She’s built something really special in West Islip. It's a close-knit, supportive community that absolutely loves her and her store," Angelica said.

And after last weekend's soft opening, Christine and Angelica felt at home once again with a "welcoming response" from an "amazing community."

Angelica told Patch they've been working on the Copiague move for a year, through a "long journey filled with ups, downs and a ton of hard work," such as navigating renovations and inspections.

"There were definitely some tears and sleepless nights, but when she found this location, she knew it was the one," Angelica said. "There’s no ice cream nearby and so many people in the area have said they’ve been waiting for something like this."

Angelica does marketing and "everything behind the scenes" for both ice cream shops, allowing Christine to focus on the day-to-day of being a business owner, a mother to 12-year-old Diana and a grandmother to three children, Liliana, Michael and Gabriella.

"She works tirelessly every single day to give us, her daughters and grandkids the best life possible. Everything she does is for us," Angelica said. "She’s the hardest working woman I know and I’m incredibly proud to be part of her journey."

Hershey's Ice Cream of Copiague will celebrate with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting on Sunday, June 1, at 12 p.m., followed by face painting and balloons for kids from 1 to 3 p.m. The first 50 customers will receive a scratch-off to use on a future visit.

"We truly appreciate the support and are so grateful for this opportunity and for people who love to support small family-owned businesses," Angelica said.

Hershey's Ice Cream of Copiague is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The shop is located at 1648 Great Neck Road in Copiague.