‘It’s a fandom’: Milkshake bar with humble beginnings to open North Myrtle Beach spot
Bo and Sherri Steele thought they were creating a small side business last June when they opened a milkshake bar.
Bo was a sales representative for US Foods for 14 years and his wife was in marketing.
Bo approached client Mike Siniscalchi, owner of 810 Billiards & Bowling in The Market Common, about taking over an unused area that had been a Starbucks in the building’s initial iteration as a grocery store.
“I had this idea and wanted to do it and I kept coming in here to work his account,” Bo said. “I finally decided to come to him one day .... I gave him the idea and he was like, ‘You can try it. I don’t think it will work.’ ”
Because of the overwhelming success of The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar, the Steeles will open a second location in North Myrtle Beach as early as next week and already have two other locations in the works outside the area through licensing agreements.
“Our little pet project got a little big,” Bo said.
The second location at 810 Billiards & Bowling in NMB is expected to open by Memorial Day Weekend. The Steeles are only awaiting the delivery and installation of a walk-in freezer.
Not your average milkshake
The Crazy Mason isn’t your typical ice cream and milkshake parlor.
It builds elaborate milkshakes in glass mason jars with additions such as cake, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, fruit and candy, edible designs along the rims, and further decoration using things such as whipped cream, sprinkles and drizzles.
The business has the slogan “Where Calories Don’t Count.”
There are 30 signature milkshakes plus three additional monthly specials. Scooped ice cream and new ice cream sandwiches and ice cream waffles are also available.
Customers can build their own shakes or order from the menu, and can keep their mason jars.
“Have your cake and eat it too,” “I Like Big Buns,” “Build Me Up Buttercup,” “Split Happens,” and “Birthday Cake,” are among the milkshake options.
Business booms despite COVID
The business has exploded despite existing only during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Crazy Mason had been open for three days when Sherri posted photos on Facebook with a caption that said the Steele’s have gone crazy and opened up The Crazy Mason.
The next day, “the line was all the way down the sidewalk,” Bo said. “That’s when it became an Internet sensation and kind of blew up, then it just kind of took off from there and we never looked back.”
The Crazy Mason has essentially gone viral. It grows as customers take pictures of their milkshakes and post them on Facebook and other social media sites.
The Steeles only recently began spending money on advertising with a billboard on U.S. 17 and a wall wrap in Myrtle Beach International Airport.
Lines often await the owners and employees when they open for business. The business averages close to 1,000 milkshakes per night, going through several hundred gallons of Blue Bell ice cream, Bo said.
“It doesn’t stop until we close,” he said. “It’s been humbling. It’s overwhelming to be honest with you, the amount of people. It’s a fandom.”
In addition to the two Grand Strand locations, which are corporate stores, a Crazy Mason is being built in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and an agreement for a Charleston location is in the works. And the Steeles have been approached by several other people about opening in other cities.
The Steeles and Siniscalchi worked together to rebuild the interior of the North Myrtle Beach building.
“We’re rebranding the entire building,” Bo said. “That whole outside of the building is getting a facelift, the interior is getting a facelift. It’s going to be beautiful up there.”
Customers can work off some of their calories at 810 in Market Common, which has bowling, billiards, miniature golf, an arcade and live music on Friday nights. The North Myrtle Beach location also has billiards and bowling.
The Steeles employ 30 in Myrtle Beach and are hosting open interviews at the NMB business from 10 a.m. to noon and 2-5 p.m. Wednesday for the second straight day.
This story was originally published May 19, 2021 at 10:29 AM.
