You Can't Get Much Bigger and Gayer Than 4,000 Rhinestones

Rebecca Marx

The picture you see above shows Sam Simon at work on the mural he's painting for the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop. In the photo, Simon, a prolific painter and muralist, is adding detail to the cameo the unicorn wears around its neck. Eventually it will contain the likeness of Bea Arthur.

Rebecca Marx

The mural will also eventually be accented with 4,000 rhinestones, which officially makes it the biggest and gayest thing about the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop. Its owners, Doug Quint and Bryan Petroff, invited us over yesterday to take a look at Simon's handiwork, and gave us some updates on their plans for the store.

In between attaching shelves to walls and chatting with curious passersby, Quint and Petroff said that they're guessing their East 7th Street shop will open by the middle of July. They've already painted a good portion of the space (thanks, Invitation to a Princess!) and are in the process of getting their Internet and Point of Sale system in place. They've also almost settled on a brand of coffee, and have lined up some new local vendors whose products they will carry.

Perhaps most exciting for bacon freaks, Quint and Petroff are reviving the Choinkwich, their bacon-enhanced ice cream sandwich. Choinkwich 2.0 will incorporate Bacon Marmalade, the sweet, piggy spread Ross Hutchinson makes in Brooklyn. And fans of La Newyorkina's paletas will also be happy to know that the fruit pops will be available in the store's display case, along with Melt Bakery's ice cream sandwiches. They'll join a roster that already includes brownies, cookies, and blondies from the Treats Truck and Danny Macaroon's addictive coconut orbs.

As you can see from the photo below, Petroff and Quint have chosen a rainbow theme for their bathroom door. Quint's (kind of) mulling the possibility of painting the toilet bowl gold, providing the store with its proverbial pot of gold. In the meantime, there are an awful lot of rhinestones that need to be glued to the wall.

Rebecca Marx

Rebecca Marx

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