Business & Tech
Tropical Sno Coming to Western Springs
The popular shaved ice franchise is owned by Western Springs resident and Nazareth grad Nicholas Cozzi. Now locals won't have to drive to Archer for this summer treat.
How's this for a summer job? Come home from college and run your own business, a popular shaved ice franchise that's sure to be a hit in the summer.
Western Springs resident Nicholas Cozzi, a 2012 graduate of Nazareth Academy, is bringing Tropical Sno to his hometown this summer. The nearest location otherwise was out on Archer Avenue in Willow Springs.
"I wanted to stay in Western Springs," he said. "I remember always driving to Archer and thinking, 'Why are we driving all the way out here?'"
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And he's happy with the location he's got. Tropical Sno will open at 3 p.m. Friday, May 17, at 1062 Hillgrove Ave., where the old Book Rack store was.
"It's right by the pool and by Spring Rock Park, so it's the perfect place to come by on the way to or from there," he said.
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Cozzi, who went to Laidlaw and McClure, isn't just familiar with the area but also the business. He just finished his freshman year at St. Ambrose University in Iowa, where's he's studying computer information systems and finance, and he's also managed the concession stand for Western Springs Little League each of the last three summers.
"I've always wanted to own my own business and be my own boss," he said. "This year it became a reality. It being seasonal helps because I'll be going back to school."
He also liked the idea of running a business so he could get his brother John involved. John is a 16-year-old Lyons Township student with Down syndrome.
"There's a limited amount of jobs for individuals with disabilities, and I wanted to get him out here," Cozzi said. "He's been working at the concession stand. It gives him something to do."
Hours aren't set yet, but they will likely change during the summer and updates will be posted at the Tropical Sno Facebook page.
Tropical Sno has 24 flavors that are set, but the menu features tons of other flavors that can form hundreds of combinations. And Cozzi said it's the best shaved ice he's had.
"This is something where I can stand behind the product," he said. "The ice itself, being shaved it truly absorbs the flavor throughout the sno-cone. And he quality of the flavors is good."
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