Sprinkled on Main
New this summer to the quaint Seacoast community of Newmarket, Sprinkled on Main (80 Main St., Newmarket, 292-5821, find them on Facebook and Instagram) is creating a buzz with its inventive ice cream sundaes and hand-crafted milkshakes. But despite being new to town, shop owners Cassy and Sonny Vasquez of North Hampton are no strangers to the ice cream business. “We had an ice cream shop for a few years in Seattle back when we lived there, so we were kind of familiar with the ice cream shop concept,” Cassy Vasquez said. “Ice cream shops are a fun thing — they make people happy. I feel like every small town should have an ice cream shop on its main strip.” You’ll typically find around 18 rotating flavors of the sweet indulgence here, sourced from both Gifford’s Ice Cream of Skowhegan, Maine, and Richardson’s Ice Cream of Middleton, Mass. “Between the two of them, I like to kind of bring in different flavors based on what [they have] going on, or if we haven’t tried a flavor before, then we’ll bring it in,” Vasquez said. But what will most likely make your head turn are the specialty milkshakes, decked out from top to bottom with creative designs of candies, chocolates and just about every other sweet topping you can think of in between. “We like to let [our staff] come up with their own ideas,” Vasquez said. “It’s cool because it keeps them really excited and invested. For a lot of them, it’s their summer job, or their first or second job, and so it’s fun.” The Scene recently reached Vasquez by phone to ask her some fun questions about her newest business venture and what you ought to try when you visit Sprinkled on Main.
How long has Sprinkled on Main been around?
We opened, I think, at the beginning of May. Right after spring break.
What makes Sprinkled on Main unique?
I really like the idea of bringing back the nostalgic feeling of an ice cream parlor. A lot of places are going more modern, but I kind of wanted to bring back the mom and pop sort of feel to it. … To me, that’s probably what I think makes it unique, even though it’s not really a unique concept.
What is your personal favorite ice cream flavor that you offer?
I’m a big chocolate fan, so I’d probably go with Death by Chocolate, [which is] extra chocolate ice cream with chocolate swirls and brownie pieces. … S’mores is also a really good one.
What is one ice cream flavor that everyone should try?
If I’m going to go for a wow factor, I think the coolest shake we have right now is what we call Over the Rainbow. … It has a rainbow lollipop on it, some rainbow-colored candies, whipped cream, Fruity Pebbles … and it comes with cotton candy ice cream. When somebody gets that one, it just puts a huge smile on their face. … Pretty much any of the shakes will do the same thing, but I really like that one out of all of them.
What celebrity would you like to see walking into Sprinkled on Main?
Adam Sandler, because he’s from here and I really think that would be awesome.
What is an essential skill to running an ice cream shop?
You’ve got to have great customer service skills and make people happy in any sort of business, but especially an ice cream shop. … You can’t have a negative attitude. You’re giving out ice cream, so you’ve got to be smiling. I mean, how else can you be, but happy? You’re putting smiles on people’s faces, and so I think that’s probably the most important thing, especially in this business.
What is your favorite thing about being on the Seacoast?
I like seeing how much happiness the Seacoast brings to people. Even though I live here year-round, a lot of people don’t … and so it makes you appreciate it a lot more. … In Newmarket, specifically, I really like that it has a small, tight-knit feel. The community has really embraced us here. … I think that’s extra special sometimes, because unlike being in a big city, you feel like you really mean something to a lot of people.
— Matt Ingersoll
Photo courtesy of Endzone Bar & Grill in Dover
