- April 26, 2024
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The travel business is — not that much like ice cream.
But Shayla Gerling made the switch to shakes this year, as the pandemic melted away much of the demand for her travel business.
She does see one thing in common: “Both make people happy. People love to travel, and people always love ice cream.”
Gerling started Gerling Sports Travel in 2003, arranging for corporate trips to major sporting events, starting with motor sports but then expanding to golf and the Super Bowl. She “sailed” through the recession in 2008, she said, because sporting events didn’t slow down. Her business expanded over the years, adding as clients professional athletes who wanted concierge service for their family vacations or other outings.
In 2009, Gerling’s husband, Mark, launched Gerling Travel, which specialized in trips to Africa. The two companies succeeded together and added employees at their office in Flagler Beach, at 301 S. Central Ave.
But this year, in the middle of March, it became apparent that the pandemic would have a major impact on travel. They sent their staffs home and ultimately had to eliminate staff completely as they learned that COVID-19 was here to stay.
“So it was Mark and I, and we owned this business, so we had to do something to keep it all going,” Gerling recalled. “Both of our incomes depend on the travel world.”
They discussed lots of options, but they kept returning to ice cream. (Both travel business also remain open and active.)
Gerling’s grandmother owned an ice cream shop in Illinois, and her mother and aunts worked there as she was growing up.
“Ice cream has always been a big part of our family,” she said, “and when we bought this building, my parents used to say, ‘You should open an ice cream shop.’ We joked about it: ‘Yeah, we don’t have time for that.’”
But the pandemic changed all that. Reasoning that ice cream was even more recession proof than sports, Gerling decided to go for it. The travel office remained where it was, but the eastern portion of the building was renovated.
Gerling researched. She talked to others who owned ice cream shops. She visited Illinois. She wanted something that would offer unique ice cream in Flagler Beach.
“When I’m going to do something, I’m going to put in 150%, and I want to know everything about it,” Gerling said.
She found a husband-wife duo in Atlanta that offered just the right product, and Surfside Shakes was born in Flagler Beach.
The shop serves thick soft-serve shakes with a long list of possible toppings, as well as grab-and-go products and scoop dishes.
Although the food industry is “way different” from travel, she’s excited for the new opportunity.
She even lets Mark help occasionally. “He’s the people person,” she said with a laugh. “I let him run the register every now and then.”
