Shaved ice shop a family affair

Chad and Paula Collins opened the shaved ice shop, Sub Zero on June 20, across the street from the Kootenai Valley Federal Credit Union.

“I wanted to start small and see how it goes,” Chad said. “Business has been going well so far.”

Chad and Paula had considered opening up an ice-cream parlor, but ultimately decided to open Sub Zero.

Two years ago, after what Chad called his “semi-retirement,” Chad, Paula and their three children moved to Libby from Miles City.

Opening the shop was a spur-of the-moment decision, “We just wanted to dip our toes in the water.” Chad said.

Chad and Paula’s three children help out around the shop. “Part of the reason we did this was to give them real working experience,” Chad said.

For now, Sub Zero is only open during the summer, but Chad said they’ll see how business goes and decide whether or not to keep it open during the winter.

The store has indoor and outdoor seating with ample parking space. On the inside, the walls are white with mint blue paneling on the bottom half of the walls. Paula and her daughter decorated the business with chairs, wall décor and an accent rug.

There are 15 flavors in total. Some of the more common flavors include strawberry, cherry, banana and grape, but if a customer felt adventurous they could try their ‘tiger’s blood,’ ‘dreamsycle,’ ‘Bahama mama,’ and ‘wedding cake’ flavors.

Sub Zero is located at 1016 Minnesota Ave. Follow the ‘Shaved Ice’ flag.

Reporter Bethany Rolfson may be reached at 293-4124 or by email at Reporter@TheWesternNews.com.