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Ervin Johnson stands in front of his forthcoming shop, One Way Ice Cream and Goodies, at 407 N. First St.
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Johnson opened global convenience store One Way Market in August 2020.
Craving a scoop of ice cream, a bowl of cereal and maybe some Reese's Pieces? Soon, your hungry — and perhaps slightly stoned (hey, its legal) — heart can have it all.
With warm weather around the corner and a plethora of globally sourced treats at his fingertips, owner of Jackson Ward exotic snack shop One Way Market Ervin Johnson saw an opportunity when the storefront across the street became available. This summer, the entrepreneur plans to debut a cereal bar in the former Str8 Out of Philly space at 407 N. First St. called One Way Ice Cream and Goodies.
“I eat ice cream like every night,” Johnson, 31, says with a laugh. “I knew I wanted [this new business] to be on the same block.”
So what exactly is a cereal bar? Gaining popularity in recent years, the concept combines two stars of the snack world while encouraging the addition of various treats from brownie bites to sprinkles to add to the fun.
While the menu at One Way Ice Cream and Goodies will feature about 10 specialty combos, patrons can also opt to make their own customized creations. Classic ice cream flavors — vanilla, chocolate, strawberry — in addition to a vegan alternative, will serve as the base. Patrons can then choose from 25 varieties of cereal from Apple Jacks to Cinnamon Toast Crunch, as well as accents including Haribo Chamallows candy from France or Cinnamon Bun Oreos via Canada.
The ice cream can be served three ways: a soft-serve swirl, as a milkshake or in a bowl. For the swirl, using a dedicated mixer, the ice cream is blended with the other ingredients resulting in a treat dispensed from the machine and served in a cup or cone. For the bowl, ice cream is adorned with cereal and toppings before receiving a pour-over of milk.
“The cereal and the toppings will give you all the flavor,” Johnson explains. “The exotic flavors [of cereal] will change, but the regulars will be things like Frosted Flakes, Honeycomb, Captain Crunch Berries" and others, he says.
With One Way Market receiving multiple DHL and FedEx deliveries a day of treats from across the globe, Johnson’s forthcoming project feels like a natural progression for the business. Since opening almost two years ago, the shop has established a regular clientele and attracted out-of-town visitors and even celebrities, including actor and rapper O’Shea Jackson Jr., son of actor and rapper Ice Cube.
The concept draws inspiration from the global cereal bar chain Kith Treats, an offshoot of fashion company Kith established in 2015, with locations in Brooklyn, New York; Miami; Los Angeles; Tokyo and more cities.
Johnson says he is still finalizing details on whether ice cream will be made in-house or sourced some other way, but he says waffle cones will be available fresh and made daily.
One Way Ice Cream and Goodies will be open Sunday through Thursday from noon to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m.
