New shop adds twist to ice cream scene

Though Peter Crowley, the president and CEO of the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce, told The Daily Princetonian in February that some stores in Princeton are suffering an estimated 10 to 15 percent decline in sales, local dessert vendors said their businesses have remained strong despite the current economic downturn and the success of Twist.

Princeton, Thomas Sweet owner Marco Cucchi said, is a “good ice cream town.”

“[More competition] tends to increase purchase frequency, so people are buying products more often when they have more options,” Cucchi explained. “When we have lines, I think people walk away, so it’s great that they have other options.”

Though his franchise’s ice cream sales are “consistent with last year’s,” Cucchi said that chocolate sales — which account for 40 percent of the store’s revenue — have slipped by five to 10 percent.

But he attributed this decline to a decrease in company purchases of chocolate for employee gifts during the holiday season rather than increased local competition.

Cindy Somasunderam, who owns Twist with her husband Uday, said that the recession’s effects on her business have been minimal and that the abundance of alternate dessert options in town has not hurt her business because each store satisfies demand from different niches.

“I think there’s enough business to go around, and I think that, in this economy, people want something that makes them feel a little better,” she explained.

“Maybe you can’t afford new furniture or an expensive vacation, but you can always spare a few dollars for a Twist,” Somasunderam added.

Despite the success of his store and other dessert vendors, Cucchi said, Thomas Sweet has taken steps to ensure its financial stability.

“We’ve increased advertising a bit to remind people that there is actually something you can consume that doesn’t cost a lot,” Cucchi said. “You get music, and you get to socialize, and it’s still less expensive than going out to a fancy restaurant if you don’t want to be holed up at home.”

Thomas Sweet has also instituted a 10 percent student discount for the first time in its 30-year history, Cucchi said, noting that the store’s “day-to-day traffic” has actually increased from the traffic in past years.

Halo Pub’s ice cream business has also remained stable, owner Jerry Reilly said in an interview, but he declined to comment on the shop’s pastry sales.

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“Even though costs have gone up, that hasn’t really been reflected for our customers,” he said, adding that he was looking forward to the warmer weather, which would improve business at all ice cream places in town.

Despite the financial risks of of opening the frozen yogurt store in the middle of January, Somasunderam said, Twist has been successful and is already seeing benefits from the arrival of warmer weather.

“It was our first [business], so we were a little nervous because it was slow in the beginning,” she said. “Eventually we got a lot of regular customers … [and] the last week or so, we’ve had lines going out the store.”

Requests to The Bent Spoon for comment went unanswered.