Good Ice Cream, Nostalgia, Family Values Key to Swirlies' Success

Happy children with ice cream running down their faces watched by adults chilling under vintage pinwheel-like umbrellas are all common sites in the summer at Swirlies Ice Cream, located on Pennsylvania Avenue, just outside of the city of Manassas. 

Hits from the '50s and '60s blast from the ice cream stand's outdoor speakers creating what owners David and Suzanne Corbin call an “old malt shop feel.”

They aim to live up to the restaurant's model, "Where Families Gather,” the couple said.

 “You heard the saying, ‘It takes a village (to raise a child)’ my belief is, it takes a family before it takes a village,” David Corbin said. “Families thank us for being here. The children can play in the grass and the family can sit around and enjoy each other.”

The couple hopes the small ice cream shop will create good memories for the children who visit, as his grandparents' ice cream shop, "Dairy Delight" did for him years ago. 

“When they get my age—60— they can look back and say, ‘Ya’ll remember Swirlies?” he said.

Of course, it isn’t only nostalgia and a great lawn that draws customers, it’s the ice cream treats.

The shaved ice for the snow cones is prepared the old-fashion way—from an actual block of ice, Suzanne Corbin said.

“It really makes it have a snow-like texture,” she said.

Patrons love the plethora of menu choices, the specials and the different flavors, she added.

A special sundae such as the cheesecake sundae is offered each Sunday, Suzanne Corbin said.

The cheesecake in the sundae is made by a local restaurant, she said.

They also have whoopee pie sundaes and an array of seasonal options such as the Easter basket sundae, she said.

There are also traditional ice cream cones, banana splits, shakes and the "Razzle" a sweet creation similar to Dairy Queen's Blizzard or the McDonald's McFlurry. 

The couple purchased Swirlies three seasons ago from Ron Divine who owns the nearby Burger King.  

Before that the small mobile trailer was known as Sweeties and was stationed in Ruckersville off Route 29.

“This is a place you have to have an investment in; it’s a labor of love,” David Corbin said.

Swirlies is open the first week of March through Thanksgiving weekend, so it’s 12 to 14 hours days, seven days a week for 8 to 9 months, Suzanne Corbin said.

Despite the work, the couple wished they had entered the ice cream business a long time ago, said David who used to be in the heavy equipment business.

“I wish I’d started pushing ice cream levers instead of backhoe levers a long time ago,” he said, smiling.

The couple has plans to expand their business and offer a small pavilion for ice cream parties.

They recently purchased two, vintage 1961 ice cream trucks that David Corbin plans to restore.

“It’s going to be so cute.  It’s the 'Swirliemobile,'” Suzanne Corbin said. 

Swirlies is located at 9901 Pennsylvania Ave. just off Nokesville Road, near the Manassas Airport. 

Have you been to Swirlies? What's your favorite treat?