“We open Friday!”
That’s the sentence Margie ‘Page’ Prusia told eager customers through the serving window at Page’s not once, not twice, but five times during our hour-long conversation.
The South Side mainstay reopens today, March 8, after their annual winter hiatus. When Prusia and I met, the wooden boards had just been removed from the windows in anticipation of opening day. And the neighborhood had noticed.
“I thought you guys were open when I pulled up,” I told Prusia.
“You’re not the first, and you won’t be the last,” she replies. And she’s right. Within minutes, someone is walking up to the window, cash in hand.
“We open Friday!” she lets them know through the serving window. A few minutes later there is a knock at the back door. Someone is hoping to buy ice cream coupons.
It’s been four months since Page’s sold out the last of their pumpkin soft serve and boarded up for colder weather. But with spring rapidly approaching, Pittsburgh is ready for the return of the popular shop that’s served East Carson Street for over 70 years.
Prusia purchased the business from her parents in 2020 and is a fourth-generation ice cream purveyor. Her great-grandfather began the business as a gas station that also served ice cream. Their current location, 4112 East Carson Street, is a few feet down the road from the original location, which was destroyed in a gas explosion in 1958.
The details of this explosion are described in Page’s history display, located on the exterior back wall of the shop. This history display was the “winter project” last year. A revamp of the grills and oven area was another winter project. Exactly what gets tackled during the winter months “depends on the season,” Prusia confides, but official preparation for serving customers begins in February for their March reopening.
“We get in here to clean,” says Prusia, but the majority of the work occurs a few days prior to opening. “It has to be last minute because it’s fresh.”
As a result, although the shop is not yet open, it already has the buzzy atmosphere of a busy summer night.
“It’s like Christmas Eve,” says Prusia.
As the team chatters, brownies and cookies are cut into chunks. Peanut butter is funneled into squeeze bottles. A mountain of freshly piled bananas await their fate. Hanging above it all, the extensive menu reflects this season’s offerings. Of course there are the classic standbys Pittsburgh has been waiting all winter to taste again: vanilla and chocolate soft-serve, a Nancy B’s chocolate chip cookie sundae, and the famous steak hoagie. But it’s worthwhile to keep an eye on the shop’s menu and social media, as they are always featuring something new in addition to the classics.
“If I get an idea, I’m like, let’s just do it,” says Prusia.
Thus creations like “Ice Cream Nachos” or the “Cold Brewmisu,” appeared. The latter, a take on tiramisu with cold brew coffee from nearby Big Dog Coffee, was dreamed up by a friend of Page’s team member Ryan Andrews. When the team gathered around to try it, Prusia knew it was going to be a hit when “everyone started taking second and third bites,” she laughs.
Other under-the-radar hits include the Raspberry Almond Torte Sundae, with raspberry jam and chiffon cake, or the South Side Hot Dog, served on a toasted bun and slathered in Page’s secret homemade sauce. The food menu itself has a cult following, and when asked what they predict the first order of the 2024 season will be, everyone agreed:
“Milkshake and a steak hoagie.”
Being a family-run local business, Page’s does their best to work with other local businesses. Their chocolate covered pretzels come from TC Candy, located just up the hill. This year, they teamed up with Potomac Bakery in Dormont for baked goods. Buns are procured from Cellone’s and Mancini’s. And, of course, the cookies for their cookie sundae come from legendary Nancy B’s Bakery in Homestead. If you see the “Taste of Pittsburgh” logo on their menu, that item is part of a local collaboration. Keep an eye out because Page’s is in the process of collaborating with local apparel brand, Steel City, on limited edition merchandise.
This emphasis on local, high-quality products is part of the reason Page’s has been a long-term success in Pittsburgh. What was once a local South Side ice cream shop has morphed into a destination business.
“It’s the atmosphere. I’ve never been anywhere like here,” says Prusia. “It’s the quality of product that we offer. People like that it’s a family business, unique to their hometown.”
Of course this means there are plenty of regulars that the team looks forward to serving again this year.
“Shout out to Miss Dar!” says Andrews.
From today, March 8, through summer and all the way to pumpkin spice season, Page’s Dairy Mart is officially open and ready to serve Pittsburgh – no matter what.
“I think I’m excited to see what goes wrong,” laughs Andrews. “Was it last year that the machine-”
“Yep,” replies Prusia before he can even finish.
Page Dairy Mart hours for the 2024 season are 11:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. daily.
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