Scoots 'N Scoops in Ben Wheeler, Texas

[Doodle Bugger]

Here's something I just had to share with my Simplex friends.

This is Scoots 'N Scoops in Ben Wheeler, Texas. It is, quite literally, an ice cream shop and motorbike/scooter/motorcycle museum. The town of Ben Wheeler is a very small, unincorporated town in East Texas, first settled in the 1840s, and is named after a postmaster in the town in the 1870s. Apparently it is the feral hog capital of Texas. A fire in the late 1800s devastated the town and just when things were on the rebound, the area was hit with a smallpox epidemic that reduced the population from around 500 to less than 250 residents. The area did well with oil drilling and cotton farming until the 1950s or so when that mostly dried up in the area (currently there is a resurgence of both in the area). Businesses closed and people moved away. The school district was consolidated with nearby towns.

Then came Brooks Gremmels. He grew up in the area, left and went on to be a successful stock broker, concert promoter, and oil and gas man. He also had a passion for two wheelers and raced motorcycles. When he decided to retire, he wanted to come back to Ben Wheeler. What he found was that there wasn't much left. So, he built his house on the outskirts of the town and then started pushing to restore and revive the town. The end result is that he purchased just about every commercial property in town, restored and rebuilt them and offered the spaces to retailers for $1 per year if they would agree to open a business and maintain a certain number of open hours per day.

Scoot 'N Scoops is his personal storefront on Main Street in which he decided to decided to open an ice cream shop he could display some of his collection in. The day my wife and I stopped in, the lady working the ice cream counter mentioned that Gremmels was planning on building a large scale museum in the town because he had "many, many more motorcycles than we could ever put in here." Unfortunately I just read a couple weeks ago that Brooks Gremmels was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and his outlook isn't so good.

With that, I present to you Scoots 'N Scoops in Ben Wheeler, Texas. If you are ever in the area...GO! It's great!



The logo:








Sitting outside in front of the building:







Confession: I went originally because I had been told about "an ice cream shop out in the middle of nowhere with a Doodle Bug in it." Here it is:

[Mike Sal]

That is awsome.  Sorry to hear that the guy has health issues.  I always told Sonya that if we hit the lottery we were going to do the same thing back in my home town (400 people). 
Mike Sal

[Mike Sal]

Oh, and that Simplex looks like a '56 to me, as I think I can see a wire running up the rear lower bar to what is probably be a top mounted brake lite switch.
Mike Sal

[pd]

Looks like my kinda place .

Thanks for sharing .

Pete .

[Gramps]

With your permission I would like to put Scoots 'N Scoops pictures and text on my website. Thanks
US Scooter Museum
http://www.usscootermuseum.com

[Doodle Bugger]

With your permission I would like to put Scoots 'N Scoops pictures and text on my website. Thanks
US Scooter Museum
http://www.usscootermuseum.com

Sure, no problem. I took the photos and give my consent for you to repost on your site. I would like to ask that you post the story/explanation that goes with them, just as you've suggested.

And, if it matters, I asked permission before photographing someone else's business...they obviously said "no problem!" So everything is on the up and up.

[Bruce]

I hereby give my permission to anyone who wants to post my handsome face ........anywhere!

[tprice]

I'm working in Ben Wheeler area and I will check to see if scooters are still in store.

[tprice]

Im sad to say that the ice cream shop does not exist anymore. The owner died and they shut the store down . The wife is going to open a antique store and maybe the bikes will show up. Im in the area weekly and will look for progress

[ndian22]

Sad report for sure. One man's passion deserves a more substantial legacy, but the world turns once and it's gone. Glad we have photos posted as a reminder. It was a treasure while it lasted.  Rick C.

[pd]

Dang , we are planning on the South Texas coast for this coming Winter . I figured that shop was on the way and would make for a nice break . Everything changes , always .

 Maybe dreaming here , but , who knows ... the wife might just 'entrust' another enthusiast with the bikes .


Pete .

[Doodle Bugger]

I have not been back to Ben Wheeler since my initial visit. I had heard that Brooks Gremmels passed away, but there were also reports (now a couple years old) that another couple had signed a lease to take over the business as-is. That may or may not have happened, but either way, it appears that the place didn't survive. It would have definitely been difficult as Ben Wheeler isn't really close to anything (it's between Canton, TX and Tyler, TX but not off I-20) and the town is very small (400 people) with very little foot traffic. I don't think Brooks Gremmels needed to make any money off the place, but that's not the position most folks are in, so seeing it close without his personal backing was probably inevitable.

Who knows what became of the bikes...they were likely worth much more than the business or perhaps even the building is. There was some nice stuff in there including an Indian Four, a Moto Guzzi GP racer, and a Norton John Player Special. Plus the scooters and other vintage motorcycles and even the modern sport bikles. Apparently the collection was much larger than what was shown at the shop, too.

It's too bad it's gone...it was definitely the coolest ice cream shop I've ever seen!

[tprice]

Guys, I am working in the area. I finally had the chance to stop in Ben Wheeler. The gentleman did pass away and the store is closed. The lady I spoke with that owned another store in the area, says the wife is going to open up an Antique store and she believes the bikes will be in the new store. The Icecream store is still vacant. I was by there yesterday.

[pd]

Everything changes , always .

Pete .

[Doodle Bugger]

The collection of bikes is up for sale. They are being offered individually on ebay by a dealer in Dallas, TX. There are more than 40 machines, and apparently three of them are Simplex Servi-Cycles (which I have not seen listed on ebay). I am not sure if the dealer owns them outright or if they are being sold on consignment for the family, but either way the Scoots 'N Scoops collection will be broken up and sold off.

Look for ebay seller rddirectauto.

Just to be clear, I am not the seller or involved in the sale in any way. If you are interested in any of the Simplexes, look up the ebay seller and call them with your questions as I have no further details.