New Greensburg shop promises decadent milkshakes, retro candy

The five Nickischer kids of Hempfield have been living out a dream, acting as taste-­testers for the milkshakes their parents will serve in a new downtown Greensburg shop.

Nicole and Greg Nickischer are looking for an early May opening for Main Street Sweets, in the lower level of the building at 41 N. Main St.

“We’ve been doing milkshakes every night for months,” Nicole Nickischer said. “We’ve been tweaking recipes and coming up with fun names. All the kids’ friends have been coming over.”

When the store opens, they won’t want for staff, either.

“Everyone wants to help,” she said.

Who wouldn’t want to help? The menu includes decadent delights with names and flavors like:

• Almond Joy

• Breakfast in Bed (coffee/mocha/doughnut and cereal toppings/maple syrup)

• Campfire (s’mores)

• Cherry Bomb (cherry pie/ cheesecake)

• Ch-Ch-Ch-Churro

• Death by Chocolate

• Dirt and Worms (Oreos and gummy candy)

• Gram’s Banana Cream Pie

• Hello Cookie Dough

• Magically Delicious (Lucky Charms marshmallows and rainbow candy)

• Strawberry Scooter Eclair (strawberry shortcake/ crunch topping)

• Unicorn (cotton candy/unicorn horn candy)

“They’ll all be topped with tons of candy,” Nickischer said.

The shop, which will source its ice cream from Kerber’s Dairy in North Huntingdon, also will serve classic vanilla, chocolate and strawberry shakes, along with seasonal creations and a vegan option.

The candy shelves will be stocked with retro brands — “all the stuff you remember from growing up,” Nickischer said — along with international and other hard-to-find sweets.

The space, which is undergoing renovations, will have a boutique feel with pink walls and gold accents, while retaining some of its historical flavor with a tin ceiling and exposed brick.

Limited seating will be available.

Nicole is a substitute teacher in the Hempfield Area School District, and Greg is an engineer manager with Elliott Group in Jeannette. They were owners of the recently discontinued Serendipity Dip Mixes, which they sold online and at outdoor markets around the area.

“That was nearing its end,” Nicole Nickischer said, because of rising prices for ingredients and packaging.

“I couldn’t raise prices on my customers,” she said. “And we wanted to try something different. We’d always wanted a storefront.

“My husband and I were looking at storefronts and asking, ‘What do we think this town needs?’ ” she said. “We hope, when people are out walking, or after they have their coffee or a sandwich, they’ll come and see us.”

Information on the shop’s opening and other details are available at Main Street Sweets on Facebook.