Scammell’s Corner: A mix of food, family and a furry friend

Published 11:18 am Saturday, September 28, 2019

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While shopping at Scammell’s Corner, expect to find Josh and the family dog Zeus ready to help you find what you’re looking for. Danielle Puleo photo

Matthew Scammell has been in the family business since the beginning. He loves interacting with the customers and regularly hangs their pictures on the wall. Danielle Puleo photo

The line to the ice cream counter sometimes wraps around into the retail side of the store on hot summer nights. Danielle Puleo photo

The walls of the ice cream parlor showcase hundreds of photos. Some are from years back, others were taken just a few weeks ago. The collection grows with the shop. Danielle Puleo photo

Zeus has his very own stuffed look-alike available for purchase inside the store. Danielle Puleo photo

Artwork handmade by Mark Scammell is displayed along the walls. All tagged artwork is for sale. Danielle Puleo photo

Tucked back on S. Virginia Dare Trail in Nags Head, there is a local shop that offers a beach lover’s two favorite things: ice cream and surfing.

Matthew and Josh Scammell had been coming to the Outer Banks since they were young. Their dad had yet to see somewhere that sold ice cream and provided surfing lessons, so they all thought “why not?” That is how Scammell’s Corner Ice Cream, Surf Lessons and Bike Rentals came to be.

“It seems like the Scammell’s name itself wants to do its own business thing,” said Josh Scammell, the youngest brother of the family. The Scammell’s Corner name has been around since his great-great grandparents came over to the United States. Popping up in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and now North Carolina, the name has served as a title for bed and breakfasts, china restaurant ware and even an acclaimed “ghost” house.

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Much like many small businesses, the start of their family-run shop was rough. “It started slower than most first-year businesses want,” said Matthew Scammell, the older brother of the family. However, through the years they have become a local favorite. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the family sings behind the counter as they scoop ice cream for their guests and give away a prize every night at 9:30 p.m.

The shop offers surfing lessons, bike rentals and fifty-two Hershey’s ice cream flavors. “We essentially wanted to have too many options,” Josh laughed as he mentioned all the choices customers have when they come in.

Scammell’s Corner also sells artwork handmade and hand-painted by Matthew and Josh’s parents. The family has built many of the wooden structures within the shop to showcase these pieces.

The walls of the ice cream shop are quite unconventional. Instead of paint or wallpaper, the Scammell’s decided to cover the walls with pictures of their customers. “There’s still pictures I need to put up,” Matthew said. Returning customers come back to view their photos regularly.

There are some people Matthew has known since their shop opened nine years ago. “There’s one girl, Emily, that I’ve known since she was nine. She’s in the military now and stopped in just a few weeks ago while she was on leave,” he said.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of Scammell’s Corner is their friendly resident canine that strolls through the shop every day. Zeus is an eight-year-old Kuvasz that Matthew rescued when the pup was about six weeks old. “They found him not moving, tied to a car in Elizabeth City,” Matthew said. Zeus has been a highlight at the shop ever since and has his own stuffed animal look-alike for sale in the store.

Scammell’s Corner is open from Easter through the end of September. It is situated in between Forbes Street and E. Lakeside Street in Nags Head and is open every day of the week.

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