By Elle Wood

MILFORD — Just in time for warm weather and the unofficial start of summer, the North Pole Creamery is scooping for the season.

On Friday, the site officially began serving its inventory of locally made ice cream. It will be open Tuesdays through Sundays until an undetermined date in the fall.

David Pickrell, North Pole’s owner, started the stand in 2020. His wife, Marcia Reed, owns Gallery 37: A Destination for Artful Living directly across the street.

“It was difficult when I first opened up because I wanted to be open seven days a week, so people did not have to think about it,” he said. “Well, that did not work because there was bills to pay and kids to pay and all that stuff, so we slowly reduced the hours and days.”

This summer’s six-days-a-week schedule will include longer hours on the weekend. Tuesdays through Thursdays, North Pole will serve from 4-9 p.m. On Fridays, it will open at 4 but close at 9:30 p.m.

But on Saturdays and Sundays, ice cream will be dished out from noon to 9:30 p.m., with some extended weekday hours once school lets out.

The couple is very involved with downtown activities and began this enterprise as another way to grow the city.

“We are very pro-arts and increasing the awareness to downtown,” Mr. Pickrell added.

North Pole Creamery’s small red building is known as the Santa House during the holiday season.

Its owner is pleased to offer a substitute for Santa during the summer, though.

“The red building is the Santa House in December,” he said. “It (used to lay) dormant for 11 months of the year. We thought we had to do something with that building.”

So, that’s how they got the idea for the ice-cream shop and the name, keeping with the Christmas theme, he said.

However, the creamery isn’t the first business to offer treats at the spot. Six years ago, King’s Homemade Ice Cream Shop in Milton opened in the North Walnut Street structure, but its owners decided not to return after the pandemic, Mr. Pickrell said.

When he took over, he maintained King’s locally made and hand-dipped inventory.

One of Mr. Pickrell’s favorite parts of the North Pole Creamery is hiring teens looking for summer work. He said he enjoys teaching them the responsibilities that come with having a job, while having fun doing so.

“It’s nice because it can benefit the kids to get them out of the house and interact with people,” he said. “It’s entry-level small business, but they get the concept of it with the responsibility.”

The shop can be found at 1 S. Walnut St., right on the Riverwalk, with outdoor seating available.

For information, visit its Facebook page.