Tuscaloosa’s favorite snowball hut will turn 35 next year, which should give some who spent their childhoods visiting a little pause to reflect when they take their kids to Summer Snow today.
It’s still the Druid City’s one-stop shop for colorful multi-flavored snow cones, or “snowballs” as owner Sammy Sanders calls them, that melt in your mouth.
With three decades under his belt as owner and operator, Sanders told us in 2017 what makes his product so unique and why his family business has such longevity.
“It’s an inexpensive treat. It’s a lot of quality for the amount of bucks,” he said. “I think people just like coming down here, hanging out, getting away and making memories.”
Now on his third generation of customers since he opened on University Boulevard near Alberta in 1988 (at 1501 University Boulevard), the Gordo native said he now sees grandmothers toting their grandchildren when they had previously brought their own kids.
People just keep coming back for the frozen treat, comprised of a bowl of shaved ice mixed with flavored syrups. Flavors range from the basics like lemon, cherry, grape and orange to popular blends like tutti fruitti, piña colada, cherry limeade and even strawberry cheesecake. The the best part is you can get two at once, and Sammy and his crew will even top of it off with a little cream for a minor extra charge. They serve hundreds of cups per day, sometimes even reaching the heights of 400 or so.
With Alabama temperatures reaching record highs in some cases, the little blue hut near Alberta quickly becomes an oasis for those of us sweating through the work week, or school buses full of kids on a field trip looking for the perfect afternoon snack.
We asked Sanders how many they’ve poured in the 30-plus years they’ve operated.
“Oh lord,” he said, before pausing to think on it. “I know we’ve got to be over the million mark or two million. I don’t even know. It’s been a lot. We’re on up there.”
As for what brings customers back one decade after another, Sanders continues to pride himself in the simplicity of the product, topped with important elements that might separate it.
“Our ice is real fine,” he said. “It’s fresh, finely shaved. It’s good flavoring. It’s easy to eat. It just melts in your mouth. A lot of people like the cream. People say they just want cream, but the cream’s really no good without the flavor. And the flavor wouldn’t be any good without the finely shaved ice.
“It takes three components to make a good snowball, plus you’ve got to have people who care about what they’re doing.”
Longtime customers will attest to the fact that Sanders (and his staff, which includes his wife and children) will more often than not remember their exact orders each time they step up to the window. That type of recall still impresses and delights his customer base, always greeted with smiles and good conversation, but a modest Sanders downplays it.
“It’s because of the loyalty and the repetition,” he said. “Anything you do and you do it over and over, you can remember it or get better at it.
“People are kind of creatures of habit. They don’t change a lot. So I guess I’m not really that smart. They just get the same flavor over and over.”
Summer Snow is still Tuscaloosa’s one-stop shop for colorful multi-flavored snow cones, or “snowballs” as owner and Gordo native Sammy Sanders calls them. He opened the hut on University Boulevard in 1988. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com)
Summer Snow is still Tuscaloosa’s one-stop shop for colorful multi-flavored snow cones, or “snowballs” as owner and Gordo native Sammy Sanders calls them. He opened the hut on University Boulevard in 1988. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com)
Sammy Sanders (above) owns and operates Summer Snow along with his wife, son and daughter. After more than 30 years in business, the beloved Summer Snow snowball shack is as cool as ever. (Ben Flanagan/AL.com)
Summer Snow is still Tuscaloosa’s one-stop shop for colorful multi-flavored snow cones, or “snowballs” as owner and Gordo native Sammy Sanders calls them. He opened the hut on University Boulevard in 1988. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com)
