‘Something new to the area’: This North Myrtle Beach family-friendly sweet spot to open
Maddox Roberson is just a little more than a year old and he’s already played a huge role in the birth of a business.
His mother, Brittney Roberson, said she became “obsessed” with Whit’s Frozen Custard in Huntersville, North Carolina while carrying her second child. It ultimately led to a business the family is opening in North Myrtle Beach on Monday.
“It became my pregnancy addiction if you will,” said Roberson, adding that she would eat there three or four times a week while carrying Maddox.
The Roberson family of four — Brittney, her husband Steven, Maddox and 5-year old Ryder — decided to start a new life by moving to North Myrtle Beach in July 2020. Part of the plan included the parents’ first venture as business owners as they entered a franchise agreement with Whit’s, which has locations in 11 states.
“When we moved here we were trying to think of work and what we wanted to do and things like that,” said Brittney Roberson, who worked for a law firm in North Carolina for 13 years previously. “We had talked for a while about opening a family business. We wanted somewhere where our boys were welcome. ... Especially after COVID and kids having to homeschool and things like that — we were trying to think ahead that if our boys had to be with us what’s something that we could do to support them, make a living that we could do together as a family.
“So it really had to do with it being family oriented and wanting somewhere where our boys were welcome. And randomly at the time I just became obsessed with Whit’s.”
The Whit’s location will be the second in South Carolina — the other is in Fort Mill — as part of the Shops on Main on Main Street in North Myrtle Beach. Its address is 691 Main Street.
“So when we moved down here there was nothing like that. There was no frozen custard in the area or anything like that,” Roberson said. “We had seen the Shops on Main and we were like ‘Man, we should really look into Whit’s and see if we can open one down here.’ So we contacted the owners of the company and that’s kind of how it fell in place.
“When we saw the Shops on Main I fell in love with the little shopping center, like the boutiques, the style, the look, the area, right on Main Street, right near the beach, and we went for it. So that’s kind of how it came to be.”
Whit’s specializes in custard — which differentiates from ice cream as it’s made with egg yolks in addition to typical ice cream ingredients milk, sugar and cream — but also offers other custom treats such as custard cakes, frozen bananas, custard sandwiches book-ended by freshly-made cookies, Whit’s Pops and more. Roberson said one of the factors that makes Whit’s unique is all the products are made fresh daily.
“If you’ve had it you can tell the difference. If people aren’t used to it they would have to try it,” Roberson said of custard versus ice cream. “But it won’t be just custard. We’ll have a few other fun frozen treats as well.”
Though Whit’s operates via franchising, Roberson said each store is different, allowing for more of a mom-and-pop shop feel.
“I guess you can say franchise in the sense that they give us the recipes and they help us through the starting up,” Roberson said. “But we have free reign over how our store looks, how we want to advertise, things we want to do. They give you a lot of freedom so you can personalize it yourself so you can make it personal to your community.”
Moving to North Myrtle Beach allowed the Robersons to be closer to relatives and Brittney said some family members plan to retire here in the future.
“It’s the type of atmosphere I that I want to raise my family in — with or without the store,” Roberson said. “But the store is just a perk at this point. The store’s not even open and we’re so thankful that we’ve already felt a huge welcoming in North Myrtle Beach in general. So I’m really excited.”
Roberson said there will be taster spoons in the store to allow people to try custard for the first time and there will be some giveaways and other festivities during a grand opening March 20.
“I want people to feel super welcome. I’m a super family-oriented person,” Roberson said. “I’m so excited. I’m excited to offer something new to the area. I’m excited to employ other people in these times where the unemployment rate has increased. It’s exciting to feel like you’re able to help someone else live their life but also provide something for the community that’s for families and for anyone in general.”
The store will be open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
