Foster Brook will soon be the “cool” place to be — literally.
That’s because Foster Brook Creamery is expected to open its doors in the Foster Brook Plaza along Derrick Road sometime in April. Meanwhile, an Aldi grocery store is looking to open at the Bradford Mall property later this year.
For the Foster Brook Creamery, owner Marsha McCracken said the business will have 24 flavors of hard ice cream, along with soft serve, she said. Also on the menu would be hamburgers, hot dogs and other tasty-freeze-type items.
“I’m kind of nervous. We’ve never done anything like this before,” McCracken said, adding excitement is being felt about bringing the ice cream store to Foster Township, and other individuals are looking forward to the business, too.
McCracken said she believes opening the ice cream business will draw people to Foster Brook, especially with the athletic fields at Derrick City and near Tuna Cross Road.
“We’re very lucky to be part of the growth in Foster Brook,” McCracken said.
Foster Brook is without an ice cream business, she said. The options are limited in the Bradford area –– people can head to Dairy Queen restaurant in Bradford and the Custer City Drive-In in Bradford Township.
McCracken said opening an ice cream business has been talked about for about a year. At first, plans called for the construction of a building, but then space was found in the Foster Brook Plaza.
The ice cream store will be open seven days a week and will have indoor and possibly outdoor seating. McCracken said around 10 employees would be hired for the seasonal business.
Bob Skaggs, who owns the Foster Brook Plaza, said he is glad to see the plaza filling up.
“It was kind of slow through the winter,” he said, adding that he has received many business inquiries about space at the plaza. Skaggs said he is talking with another prospective tenant today. Skaggs did not immediately disclose what type of business the prospective tenant might be.
Meanwhile, Bradford Mall developer Pat Higgins said he believes Aldi is planning to close on the property and begin construction in the spring.
That timeframe was later confirmed by Aldi Saxonburg Division Vice President J.R. Perry, who said Aldi is expected to open a store in the township later this year. Previously, Higgins said the Aldi store would be located adjacent to Taco Bell, which also sits on mall property and faces East Main Street.
“Aldi takes a simple approach to grocery shopping that translates into big savings for our customers,” Perry said. “One of the first things shoppers will notice when they step into an Aldi store is that we’re smaller than a traditional supermarket — just a few aisles compared to 30 elsewhere.”
In Foster Township, the store will have five aisles and about 10,000- to 11,000-square-feet of selling space.
“We’re looking forward to opening our first store in Bradford and offering McKean County customers great-quality groceries at everyday low prices,” Perry said. “This combination is why we’re one of the fastest growing retailers in the U.S. In fact, by the end of 2018, there will be nearly 2,000 Aldi stores from coast to coast. We already have more than 1,600 stores in 35 states, serving more than 40 million customers every month.”
Also in Foster Brook, Cricket Wireless is expected to open soon in the Shops at Foster Brook, the strip mall adjacent to Walmart. The wireless phone provider that offers prepaid cellphones, plans and accessories will occupy space formerly used by Subway restaurant.
Elsewhere in Foster Brook, The Beer Barn will be relocated soon to the former site of Bradford Auto Resale along Bolivar Drive. For several months, the business has been located in a small section of the old Kmart building on the mall property.
