Business
BY VALERIA ESCOBAR
Cake batter with crushed strawberries and whipped cream ($7) is one of the many snow cone combinations.
COURTESY SNODREAMZ
To keep the business thriving during cooler months, SnoDreamz also serves wings, fries, boudin balls, tacos and funnel cakes.
VALERIA ESCOBAR COMMUNITY IMPACT
SnoDreamz celebrates 1st sweet year in Missouri City The family-run, Louisiana-inspired snow cone shop brought its signature soft shaved ice and bold avors to the area in February 2024. But the busi- ness also has deeply rooted history in the Houston area, co-owner Crystal Tankersley Ikeakor said. Ikeakor said the growth of SnoDreamz in Hous- ton is a testament to the dreams her mother, who died in October 2023, sowed decades ago. The history What makes it special? Ikeakor said SnoDreamz o ers a cultural
Crystal Tankersley Ikeakor’s parents began working in the snow cone industry in the ’80s.
VALERIA ESCOBAR COMMUNITY IMPACT
experience where customers, both locals and transplants, quickly learn what makes a New Orleans-style snowball special. “It’s the ice,” Ikeakor said. “The ice is really soft—not like the hard, crunchy kind. There’s tons of di erent avors ... [and] all the toppings.” Next steps Ikeakor said the community is at the heart of everything SnoDreamz does by raising the next generation in the family business. “We want to grow, franchise and eventually expand outside of Houston,” Ikeakor said.
T HOMAS TAYLOR PKWY.
Missouri City
GRAND PARK DR.
The journey began in the ’80s, when Ikeakor’s parents, Denise and John Tankersley, started selling the icy treats in Houston’s South Park area. That original shack eventually led to the family’s agship location on Fondren Road, followed by a second location in the Third Ward on Scott Street.
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1731 Texas Parkway, Missouri City www.snodreamztx.com
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SUGAR LAND MISSOURI CITY EDITION
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