By Kayleigh Petrie
Chet and Pat’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream Shoppe has been the main place to enjoy a sweet treat in Curtis for decades.
That tradition continues with new owners Staci and Bob Goodale, who purchased the shop and renamed it Goodale’s Sweet Spot. The Goodales officially became owners on July 29.
Though the name is different, the place will feel much the same.
“It is important to me to not really make changes to this establishment, but to add to it. The sense of nostalgia here, and the generations of people who come here with their families is what makes this such an amazing place,” said Staci Goodale.
“The ice cream is number one priority,” she said, “but we have added donuts and coffee, prepared fresh daily.”
From the family’s Goodale’s Bakery in Grayling, they bring in breads and coffee cakes weekly. They’ve also introduced other items, like iced coffee, which is an early hit.
Goodale’s Sweet Spot will offer more than just sweet treats.
“We brought in a load of pumpkins,” Staci said, “with hopes of next year being able to expand and do something fun with them, such as a family day with pumpkin carving, cider, and donuts.”
Beginning this week they will start offering soup and a roll in the afternoon for a grab-and-go item. Heated breakfast sandwiches are also available in the mornings. Some customers have been stopping in just for the feta dip, a specialty from the Grayling bakery.
Current hours are 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. with a break in the day from 1 – 3 p.m., Monday – Saturday. On Sunday they open at 10 a.m. Daytime hours may change a bit once the soup menu is added, Staci said. You can check out the recipe of such soups here.
During hunting seasons they will be opening at 6 a.m. Breakfast sandwiches, donuts, and biscuits and gravy will be available during rifle season.
While the Goodales currently don’t yet reside full time in Curtis, Staci’s family roots run deep. “My great grandfather migrated here in the late 1890s, walking from Canada,” Staci shared. “He planted the first apple orchard here in Portage Township. He also raised his family here. My grandparents lived here almost all their lives. We spent almost all of our summers here.”
The local shop was always a favorite of Staci’s. “Ever since I was a little girl I would love going to ‘The Sweet Spot!’ as it was called then, with my grandma. We would walk up to get ice cream and I thought it would be so much fun to work there. Over the last couple of years, my husband Bob and I would talk about what we would do if we owned it and what it would be like.”
While it began as a dream, when the store went up for sale, the dream became reality. “Over the last couple of years we were coming up here almost every weekend. We had just purchased my great grandfather’s house. Every time I had to go home it was such a sadness to leave here because I felt like Curtis is where I belonged. It’s a feeling I couldn’t truly explain,” Staci commented.
Staci said she and Bob are very excited about this new venture.
“It’s very important for us to be successful, and fill the needs of the community, without changing the tradition of the business,” she said. “I know that my grandparents are up there looking down on us, blessing us, as we try to keep the family roots firmly planted, and we continue to grow.”
