The Sugar Fix Opens in Glen Burnie

Lindsey Hensley is one of many customers who have been visiting Glen Burnie's newest ice cream shop, The Sugar Fix, since its opening about two weeks ago.

“I was just driving by, and when I saw a new ice cream place, I wanted to stop in and check it out,” said Lindsey Hensley.

It is precisely this type of interest and curiosity that shop owners, Scott Arruda and Ben Yerkey, said they are hoping for.

“We looked all over the county for a suitable location for the shop,” Arruda said. “We kept coming back to Glen Burnie. Glen Burnie is more of a traditional, old-school community, and is more blue-collar than other towns in the area. In our eyes, this appeared to offer more moms, dads and kids who were interested in doing more things locally with their families. That was our goal, to become close to the families and community in which we operate our business.”

The store is a family affair, staffed by siblings, parents and family members of the two owners. June Yerkey, step-mother of Ben Yerkey,  said she loves working in the shop.

“This is such a relaxing job. It's fun, and ice cream customers are always happy and easy to please. Ice cream makes everyone smile, and it's nice to see so many smiling faces,” she said.

And the Sugar Fix is not only an ice cream shop.

“We also have snowballs and Italian ices,” said Jessie Yerkey, sister of Ben Yerkey. “We have 36 flavors of ice cream, and they are all delicious.”

With the exception of businesses like , The Sugar Fix is one of the few independently owned ice cream shops in Glen Burnie.

“We are hoping that being independent is exactly what separates us from the corporate chains and gives that personal touch that seems to be missing in so many company-owned businesses,” Arruda said.

Arruda and Yerkey both serve as police officers in the area, and decided to open the shop as a side venture after trying to think of a way they could make money and have fun by working together.

“We enjoy dealing with families and kids,” said Arruda. “A trip to the ice cream parlor is traditionally a family thing, so we get the best of both worlds, both being in business and seeing the smiles brought to the faces of the children who come in.”

The Sugar Fix is located at 7300 Ritchie Highway, #100B, in Glen Burnie. For information about hours and location, visit The Sugar Fix's Facebook page.