The corner of Interbay and Bayshore Blvd. is home to a number of “cursed locations;” spots where, no matter what company is started, the property is ultimately left vacant. It is, and has been, a place where any business fails. 

Strachan’s Homemade Ice Cream has seemingly recently broken this stigma since they occupied one of those locations earlier last month. Originally from Palm Harbor, Fl, Strachan’s was founded in 1999 by Bill and Susan Strachan; although Strachan’s is no longer owned by the Strachan family, the Louizes and Krillies use all the same recipes. They gained rapid popularity with their homemade, mom-and-pop style ice cream, family-friendly nostalgia and traditional southern hospitality.

Both the Louizes and the Krillies have been in the dessert business since the 1940s. They have since opened numerous others including locations in Clearwater, Dunedin and Safety Harbor. 

“My experience was very good because the people that were working there [Strahan’s] made my time very enjoyable. One of the most memorable things about the experience was the candy that they had. It was like this self-serve candy display, with saltwater taffy, and me and my mom really enjoyed it as well. Their cookie dough ice cream smacks,” said Gabriella Toranzo (’25), a Robinson student and a patron of Strachan’s.

There are dozens of available flavors, including carrot cake, rocky road, vanilla brownie, rum raisin, pumpkin cheesecake and eggnog. They serve other deserts as well including cakes, cookies, brownies and pies. 

“Well, we do have some award-winning stuff, and everything that we make is homemade and that’s kind of what makes us stand out from other ice cream places,” said Joey Kehoe, the manager of the South Tampa location. “Not just ice cream, but we have baked goods and chocolates and fudge and things like that.” 

With a great atmosphere and happy customers, Strachan’s is a great place to work at too.

“There’re really rarely any interactions that are, you know, anything too rough to deal with most of the time. It’s a bunch of happy smiles and people on vacation or just coming in for a nice snack after school,” said Justin Penson, an employee of the new location in South Tampa. “I’d say overall, it’s been quite the enjoyable experience out of the different ones that I’ve done in food service. I’d say it’s easily one of my favorites.”