When adults pull their boats up to one of Snobiz Shaved Ice’s floating vessels, they act like they are just buying for their kids. It doesn’t take long, however, for them to order some for themselves.
“They see how good they look and taste their kids’ cones, and they get one, too,” says Matt Kronen, co-owner of Snobiz. “Everybody likes a treat on a hot day.”
Kronen and his business partner, Tarang Gandhakwla, started selling shaved ice or snow cones on Logan Martin Lake four years ago. Their “fleet” consists of two boats. For one, Kronen took an old pontoon boat, tore it down to its frame and rebuilt it. They purchased an existing snow cone boat that had been used on Lake Martin already. One of their boats is yellow and is anchored at the mouth of Clear Creek on the main channel. The orange boat travels between Pirate Island and the park at the Logan Martin Dam. In addition, the partners sell shaved ices out of their newest venture (this one, on land), Piece of the Pie, a pizza parlor at their Coosa Island Marina.
“The yellow boat also carries boiled peanuts, hot dogs, ice cream and canned soft drinks,” Kronen says.
He says their shaved ice business grows a little more each year, which is one reason they expanded into the pizza operation. “We have a ton of loyal shaved ice customers who have been really good to us,” he says.
People hold onto their own boats as they reach for the cones, then pull away to eat them. (No boarding of the snow cone vessels is allowed.) Generators power the freezers that keep the ice frozen. Flavors include banana, birthday cake, blue raspberry, peach, piña colada, watermelon and tiger’s blood. The latter is a popular branded flavor that combines strawberry and coconut. Cones come in just one size. “We had several sizes to begin with, but we learned it was best to keep it simple,” Kronen says. It’s not unusual, he adds, to sell one snow cone with two or three spoons.
People used to be surprised to see the shaved ice watercraft, but now if they come out and don’t see them, Kronen starts getting phone calls. “We’re the only floating shaved ice business on the lake,” he says. “We were the only shaved ice around here at all until recently, and we’re still the only ones physically on the water.”
Folks can get lake necessities, snacks and drinks at Kronen’s Coosa Island Marina, which also features boat self-storage and valet storage. “Really, we’ll put their boats in the water and take them out,” Kronen says. They lease pontoon boats, and Kronen vows they are the only place on Logan Martin that do personal watercraft rentals.
“We’ve had a bunch of people who have posted photos on our Facebook page of their kids enjoying the cones,” Kronen says.
Snobiz is open only on Saturdays and Sundays, plus Mondays on holiday weekends, from Memorial Day through Labor Day, from11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
So, what’s the next venture for this business partnership?
“Who knows?” Kronen says. “But I’ll tell you this: We’re always looking for help. It’s way harder to find help for this type of business than you would think.”
