Stickler’s Ice Pops, from husband-and-wife team Todd and Laura Saulle, is set to bring fresh fruit ice pops to Millvale. The ice pop company, formerly known as Pop Stop, is opening their first brick-and-mortar shop later this spring.
“The whole mission of our pops is just to make better stuff than what you’d find in the grocery store,” Todd Saulle says. “Sometimes that means you might find whole fruit in our popsicles, because we found some really great, fresh fruit to use that week.”
Stickler’s handmade pops are made using fresh fruit, fresh-squeezed juices, and pure cane sugar, and the company currently has about 30 flavors on their menu.
Once the shop opens, Saulle says that eight regular flavors will always be available, including Strawberry Lemonade, Tropical Sunrise with pineapple, banana, and freshly-squeezed orange juice, Watermelon Kiwi, Orange Mango, Pineapple Basil, Mixed Berry, Honeydew Pistachio, and The Elvis, a peanut butter, banana and honey pop.
“We’re basing the list of popsicles that we’ll always have in the shop off of what our best sellers have been in the last few years,” Saulle says. “People go crazy for the Elvis, and our Watermelon Kiwi one is really popular, because even though it’s so simple, it’s really cool. It’s mostly watermelon, then the last eighth of it is a little bit of kiwi, so it looks like an actual watermelon, and has a nice, tart taste.”
Stickler’s will also offer a rotating list of four seasonal popsicles each month (like Sweet Potato Pie in November), which can be purchased individually, or in packs of eight with two of each flavor included.
Saulle founded Pop Stop about three years ago after a chance conversation about popsicles at a friend’s birthday party. Armed with just a popsicle recipe book and a bike with a cooler, Saulle spent his weekends and summers off from his teaching job making and selling popsicles around town. One name change, an expanded fleet of popsicle carts, and a popsicle truck later, Stickler’s has doubled down on their mission to create frozen treats that are made with more than just sugar water.
The Millvale location will primarily be a production facility, upgrading the company to a permanent home for their ice pop production. “When we first started, we were in Franktuary’s basement,” Saulle says. “Then on to a church basement, and finally we got above ground last year in a shared kitchen space.”
The new shop has a storied history, too. Located a 1149 Evergreen Avenue, the shop was formerly the location of Regis Steedle Candies, an iconic candy and ice cream shop that closed about ten years ago. With the expanded space, Saulle says that they’ll be able to spend more time experimenting with new flavors, and expand their wholesale business.
An opening date has not been set quite yet, but Saulle says that he’s hopeful that the shop will be up and running by the end of April or early May. To celebrate, they’ll host a pop tasting party once the doors are officially open. Follow their Facebook page for opening date updates, and more information.
Stickler’s Ice Pops (1149 Evergreen Avenue, Millvale, PA)
Hope you have some sugar free pops also