A new idea but an old concept – It's Nay Nay's Street Treats bringing good memories and cold treats to San Saba County!

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Do you hear that old familiar sound coming down the street? You guessed it...it's the ice cream truck! Not just any ice cream truck, for that matter, it is Nay Nay's Street Treats!

A dream several years in the making finally came to fruition in March of this year. I sat down and spoke to the owners of Nay Nay’s Street Treats, Jon Paul and Kristen Collins, and got the "scoop". . . pun intended!

The dream started five or six years ago. Jon Paul and Kristen wanted to do something for the kids. “This town doesn’t have anything to speak of for the kids, and we mulled over idea after idea of what we could do from a financial standpoint for the kids,” Jon Paul said. Once they decided on an ice cream truck, all their time and effort went in to making this dream come true.

When asked if the pandemic made things a little tougher getting a new business started and off the ground, Jon Paul and Kristen shared it was a little difficult trying to find some of the things they needed because many businesses were closed due to COVID.

Overall, Jon Paul and Kristen spent six months getting the truck ready for business. The couple follows the state requirements of flashing lights and signs for children (Slow down!), and they have their vending license. Even though they didn't have to have a food handlers' certificate (all their items are prepackaged), they went ahead and got that anyway. They wanted to go above and beyond what was needed to make the community and code enforcers feel safer about them being out on the street.

How did they come up with their name? They wanted a name that was catchy and tells what they are doing. The "Nay Nay’s" part was named after Jon’s mother who passed away a couple of years ago. “Nay Nay loved kids and she loved ice cream,” Jon Paul said. His mother worked at the San Saba Dairy Queen for a long time and was manager there for a few years. The name, “Nay Nay’s Street Treats,” is a way of honoring her in this venture.

Nay Nay’s Street Treats’ first day of business was March 21, 2021. Now that school is out, Nay Nay's typically runs 12:00-7:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. As for the route, Nay Nay's starts on the south side of town, Monday and Thursday, and then on the north side, Tuesday and Friday. They are alternating the times they hit the streets and try to hit every street in succession.

Nay Nay's has a link posted on their Facebook page every day to their GPS tracker so you can see where they are. Jon Paul and Kristen related how several folks come to track them down to get a “treat” from their truck.

On Saturdays, you can find their truck in the parks, sporting events, and activities as such. T-Ball and soccer teams have practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Nay Nay's tries to be there to help the kids cool off with a nice "treat" after a long hot practice. Kristen stated, “Those kids love to see the ice cream truck coming. After they get all hot and sweaty, they like their little ‘ice cream cool down.'"

Nay Nay’s Street Treats mainly tries to stay on street routes; however, they also have a few other "regular" stops they make during the week. During school, they would stop by the elementary school every day after school; plus, they go to the daycares on Fridays.

In addition, Nay Nay’s Street Treats stops by the City Yard and then Hamrick’s every day around 3:00 p.m. because they were requested to come. JC Smith Company asks them to go out there usually once a week. I guess ice cream is not just for the kids! If you want them to pay a visit to your business, contact them via Facebook. They will try to make that happen. Recently, Nay Nay's started visiting the senior center.

Which towns can you find Nay Nay's visiting? Jon Paul said, “At present, we primarily stay in San Saba because of the truck limitations. However, we have just purchased a trailer so we can go to Cherokee and Richland Springs, hopefully once a week. We also want to start hitting Llano Flea Markets, as well as Lampasas.” They stated the trailer will essentially be an ice cream truck, but it will be for setting up places they cannot always take the truck, like the park or at a Trade Day.

Jon Paul and Kristen will have the truck AND the trailer set up on the Fourth of July and are excited about that. They will also be in the Fourth of July Parade!

I noticed on Facebook that Nay Nay’s Street Treats caters to birthday parties. I asked them if they have other items besides ice cream. You would not believe all the things they have! They also have concession-style food items for your catered parties and special events (such as sports games) when requested.

Nay Nay’s Street Treats has 50 or more items on the truck. Besides ice creams, they also have candy bars, sodas, water, energy drinks, coffees, pickles, chips, jerky, popcorn, paletas, suckers, and gum. And yes, they even have dog ice creams, so don’t leave out your special canine friend! You can also purchase merchandise, such as shirts, hats, and stickers.

What is their best seller? They noted it is different from day to day. Jon Paul said, “Thanks to the Prynt Shop, we have this new menu and people are now saying, ‘Oh, I didn’t know you had that!’ So we sell items now we never sold before, because people didn’t know we had them. The menu on the truck has really helped tremendously.” Jon Paul and Kristen have priced their items as low as possible for the community. Others in the ice cream truck business told them they are crazy for pricing their items so low and should sell nothing under $3.00. Jon said that is the cost of his most expensive item and has many $1.00 items. They want people to be able to have that treat.

Jon Paul recalled that when he was a kid, “I would hear the music of the ice cream truck, and I would dig in the couch to find the money for an ice cream treat.” He went on to state, “We are trying to sell an experience, not an ice cream.” That goes along with why they started this in the first place - to have something for the kids in town.

To make things easier, Jon Paul and Kristen have reloadable gift cards. They have some parents who load and reload the gift card so their kids can use it all week. This has worked well after school and at daycares. Kristen said they also have loyalty cards, i.e., buy something from the truck five times, and on the sixth time, you get free ice cream!

Jon Paul and Kristin said they don’t want anyone left out because of money. They said some community members have donated money in case a child does not have money when the truck comes by.

They also don’t want anyone to be left out because of dietary restrictions and food allergies. They have sugar-free fruit bars, Keto ice cream, gluten-free, lactose-intolerant, nut-free, and even cups of sherbet ice cream if folks have many allergies. They said many people have food allergies, and they wanted everyone to have the experience.

I asked if Nay Nay’s Street Treats will be a seasonal thing. Jon Paul and Kristen said they will probably be selling through the entire year. “In Texas, it doesn’t get cold long enough to where we would have to shut down for the season. Kids love ice cream year-round. It doesn’t matter if it is 20 degrees outside, they still want ice cream. I’m pretty sure the youth proved that!,” said Kristen.

Parents might not agree, but kids love ice cream year-round. Nay Nay’s has already had children standing in the streets wrapped in coats and blankets waiting for the truck to come; it was in the 40s and 50s outside.

Nay Nay’s Street Treats is a family venture. Jon Paul is a retired Marine and recently received a Bachelor’s Degree online from Liberty University in Biblical and Theological Studies, all while homeschooling the kids. This new adventure is his next step. He had to do something where he could still homeschool the kids while Kristen works as a full-time secretary at San Saba’s First Baptist Church where the family is very active.

Jon Paul needed to find something that was flexible where he could have the kids with him. Thus, the family gets lots of time together while operating Nay Nay’s.

Daughter, Sharon, who is almost 11, and son, Jon Wayne, age 7, both love music and they love the new family business. Another family member, Jordan, age 8, who is Jon Paul’s son and Kristen’s stepson, will be joining them in another month and is so excited to be part of Nay Nay’s Street Treats!

Jon Paul stated, “We are super excited and thankful and blessed with the way the community has received this business in just the last few weeks that we’ve been open. Watching the kids jump up and down with joy as we are coming around. . . it makes everything worth it. It’s amazing.”

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for all ages, think about a gift card to Nay Nay’s Street Treats! See their Facebook page for more information about booking events, the GPS link, purchasing merchandise, and much more!