While opening a business is generally thought of as something people do in adulthood, Gibson Southern junior Olivia Alston is changing that idea. On May 1, 2025, Alston will launch her very own business, Sugar on Main, an ice cream shop located in Fort Branch on Main Street, right across from R’z Cafe. Her new business will replace the former ice cream shop that occupied the same building space, Flora June’s Scoop Shop. The ice cream shop is planned to be open through the summer while the weather is warm.
“It’ll be open from May 1 to like August or October,” Alston said. “The closing date will purely depend on Indiana’s weather. If it gets really cold really fast, we’ll close earlier in August, but if it’s decently warm still, then we’ll keep it going through October.”
Alston plans for “Sugar on Main” to sell a variety of both ice cream flavors and other kinds of drinks or treats. There will be many drink variations that include ice cream, such as milkshakes and soda ice cream floats, called dirty sodas. There will also be a variety of other desserts offered. Additionally, the ice cream shop will provide a public space for gathering and entertainment.
“We named it ‘sugar’ rather than just ice cream because we also have sweet treats and homemade goods, like brownies and cookies and things,” Alston said. “With the ice cream, we’re also providing a space for anybody of all ages to hang out, as we have a big grass area with outdoor games and a fire pit, and we have a whole stage set up for live music and things. So, we’re providing not only just the food aspect of it and the desserts but also an experience and a place where people can hang out.”
This business idea started because of many reasons but mainly because of Alston’s involvement in the Gibson County CEO Program. In this program, she was required to create her own business. With her parents being business owners, they have acquired several properties. After her parents purchased the space, the idea arose to rebrand and reopen the ice cream shop according to Alston’s vision.
“I guess it would have started in December or September,” Alston said. “I’m in a CEO class, which is Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities, so it’s a business class. In [the] second semester, we have to make our own business and run it. My family bought the restaurants and the ice cream shop. It was an ice cream shop called ‘Flora June’s’ two years ago, but they haven’t been open for the past couple of summers. And we were looking at it, we knew that we had the building and we figured that it would be a good experience for me, learning how to pay workers and start a schedule and do all of that.”
For Alston, the main inspiration behind the business was to create a space for people in the community to socialize, something she believes the community lacks. Not only did she want to reopen the community’s former ice cream shop because of how much of a hit it had been, but she also wanted to rebrand it into more of a social setting for people in the community.
“Mainly for me, it was the fact that looking around the community, I feel like me and my friends never know where to go,” Alston said. “If we want to actually go and do something, we have to make that 30-minute drive into Evansville and spend a whole bunch of money. And so, I really wanted a space that would have the experience because I feel like Gibson County lacks places for people of all ages to be able to come that don’t empty their wallets, you know, because my space is all free. And, then looking into it, I was thinking about what Gibson County would want and what attraction can bring people of all ages.”
For now, Alston is focusing on the success of the ice cream shop, but she does have visions for the future. She currently plans for Sugar on Main to be open strictly during the summertime, so she does have ideas for the building to remain active in the winter months with a different kind of business.
“We have several ideas for that, but right now, we’re really focusing on just the ice cream part of it because we need to see how well it goes and what profits we make to see what’s possible for the future,” Alston said.
Along with several Gibson Southern students she has already hired, Alston is planning to work at the ice cream shop herself for the five days of the week it is open throughout the summer. Alongside working during open hours, Alston will be managing the financial details, creating schedules, making sure everything is done on time and advertising for her business. Other than word of mouth, the primary advertising platform Alston is using is a Facebook page.
“I’ve just been trying to be interactive with the customers,” Alston said. “So, like posting things asking them what flavors they want to see in the ice cream shop, because I really just want to do this for the community more than anything, and so I just want to make sure that we’re going to have something for everybody.”
Alston funded this project with finances loaned to her from her parents. Additionally, many people she is close with, particularly in her family, have donated their time for free to help her get the business started. Out of everything that has transpired with the entire process of getting the business running, Alston feels that the help she has received from people she is close with has meant the most to her.
“… a lot of people have just been offering their time for free, so that’s helped a lot, but the main money out of it has actually been from my parents,” Alston said. “I didn’t realize how many connections that I’ve made with people that were strong enough that they would come back and offer their help. Those people come over, hear what I want to do and actually believe me. Because sometimes, it’s hard being into business but also being a high schooler, you know? And so, it’s just been great seeing people believe that I can do a successful thing.”
