Aliya Ibrahim
This summer, Lyn's Tasty Sno marks 30 years of sweet retreats from the heat.
The shaved ice stand is a seasonal Carrollton staple open from April to September. The stand, which is owned and founded by Linda "Lyn" Hostetler, offers a variety of hand-mixed flavors alongside a rotating flavor of the week.
For many customers, it is a stop on the way home from work or a local sweet treat. For others, visiting the stand with friends, family or coworkers became a summertime tradition.
Lyn's Tasty Sno started as a part-time break from corporate America for Hostetler. "The break turned into 30 years of a career for me," Hostetler said.
Hostetler spent the first three years living off her savings before making money, and worked part-time during the off-season when the stand was closed.
“It is a commitment; it’s a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week commitment, and it isn’t easy at first,” she said.
Hostetler's mornings usually start at 8 a.m., when she begins mixing flavors or restocking supplies.
By 2 p.m., Hostetler opens the stand, usually accompanied by a friend or family member. Though it closes at 9 p.m., Hostetler's days end at 10:30 p.m., after cleaning up, getting home and unloading.
"It takes a village," Hostetler said. "And if it weren't for all my friends and family helping me behind the scenes, then there's no way I could do this on my own."
After about five years of the stand opening, Hostetler said: "It wasn't about the money anymore. It was about just the connections I made with the community and the people."
Over the decades, the stand moved along Belt Line Road before finding its current location beside Ministerios Bethania USA.
Longtime customer Lionel Berumen recalls the last move, which happened 9 years ago. For him, Hostetler's kindness and peach Piccadilly snow cone keep him coming back.
He said what stands out is the way she looks out for regulars and remembers them year after year. “She knows her customers very well,” Berumen said.
"If you enjoy what you do, you'll never work a day in your life," Hostetler said.
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