MCSHERRYSTOWN, Pa. — Ripleigh Maring is like any other teenager working at their local ice cream shop, except she doesn’t just work at the McSherrystown store, she owns it.
“It started with an idea, we took the idea and did it,” said Maring.
The idea was inspired by her family’s love for traveling and dessert.
“I’ve been to Tokyo, I’ve been to Greece, you wouldn’t believe how many crazy ice cream flavors, sweet treats we see," said Maring.
With a little help from her mom, who’s also an entrepreneur, the 15-year-old Delone Catholic student has turned her passions into a trendy business, featuring Instagram-worthy treats and dozens of “innovative” flavors.
“We just come up with it, it just happens," said Maring. "Like what about Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, oh my god, avocado, wait, spicy pineapple avocado. It just works.”
The dozens of flavors inspired the store's name "Ripleigh’s Eat It or Not."
“Of course, there’s 'Ripley’s Believe It or Not,' so we’re like okay, 'Eat It or Not,' we’ve got some crazy flavors, it just works perfectly," said Maring.
Amid inflation and rising gas prices, Maring says she's quickly learning the challenges of being a business owner.
"Like avocados, they’ve skyrocketed, almost tripled in price so we’re like ‘Okay maybe we’ll be sold out for a while, but we’re going to find different places," explained Maring. "We try to weave around obstacles, find other things in the meantime. 'Oh if we don’t have that, then why don’t we try this?'”
While many other businesses struggle to find workers, she hasn’t had a problem recruiting friends to join her team.
“We have a good time, we have chemistry,"' said Maring. "If we bump into each other accidentally we’re just like ‘Okay whatever’ so it makes the workplace a lot more lively and friendlier.”
Customers say they enjoy the icecream and appreciate the staff
“They do great," said Roger Hollenbaugh of Gettysburg. "The people they have behind the counter I believe are all in that sophomore range too, it’s awesome.”
Maring says the dream doesn't end in Adams County.
She's also working on opening the company's flagship shop in Emmitsburg, Maryland.