Downtown Gets a Double Scoop of Sweetness

Over the past several months, downtown Hampton and nearby portions of Lafayette Road have seen a higher-than-usual surge of new businesses or to come to town.

Those and have helped bring new life to Hampton, but for over a decade one popular type of eatery has been notably absent from the plethora of flavors and styles in the greater downtown area.

That is, until now.

Not one but two ice cream shops are expected to be fully operational by the end of the month in the heart of downtown, and both have connections to a strong Seacoast small business pedigree.

Y&E Ice Cream, owned by the man who once ran the previous incarnations of and , and Stillwells Ice Cream, owned by the couple behind a similar Exeter ice cream shop, will each dish out dozens of hard and soft ice cream and gelato to an area known for its love of frozen dairy products.

Ehab Elaziz opened Y&E Ice Cream after his son, Yasser, a 2011 graduate of and the manager of the business, deftly pointed out that students and residents haven't had a place to get ice cream without contending with tourism and traffic at Hampton Beach since Friendly's closed in 2001.

"I know I hate waiting in traffic for hours in the summer over there," said Yasser Elaziz, 19, whose shop officially opened at 7 High St. last week next to the . "There weren't any ice cream shops around downtown before we started, and who doesn't want ice cream?

"We just want to make people happy because a lot of people like ice cream, and we want to get closer to and help out the community and nearby businesses."

Stillwells Ice Cream is set to open its doors Friday in what used to be a vacant storefront between and , just north of the heart of downtown.

Stephen Markot, who owns the shop with his fiancée Arielle Wolfe, said it was peculiar downtown Hampton didn't have an ice cream shop, which is why he said they wanted to bring one to a ice cream-friendly area.

"I just read that New Hampshire and Massachusetts are No. 1 and 2 in the United States for ice cream consumption," said Markot, who was putting together tables and putting finishing touches on the interior of his business Thursday. "What we'll try to do is give people the best value for their money... and give downtown Hampton, Hampton Falls and Seabrook a year-round option in the ice cream capitol of the U.S."

Y&E Ice Cream, which is open noon to 9 p.m. daily but will expand its hours in the summer, will churn out 34 flavors of Richardson's hard ice cream and yogurt, 24 flavors of soft serve, shakes, Italian soda and a variety of gelato varieties once their specialized gelato machine arrives from Italy next week.

Stillwells, which will be open 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily, will boast 60 flavors of Richardson's hard ice cream and frozen yogurt, shakes, eight flavors of Italian ice, and six flavors of gelato from Massachusetts-based Dolce Freddo.

Both Yasser Elaziz and Markot said they recognize there will be a little competition between their shops, as well as some competition with beach ice cream shops, including the Stillwells location owned by Wolfe's parents.

Both said, though, that they see an opportunity to bring something different to the downtown area during a series of changes that are poised to help the area regain more of its "walkable" feel and rich history.

"We want to be part of the revival of Hampton," said Markot. "I definitely see some potential, and I've had a warm reception already.

"It's going to be a long road, but I'm excited."