Maryland shop has been serving up snoballs and sweet treats for more than 40 years: "It's all I know"

The Original Hawaiian Island Snoball in Randallstown, Maryland, has been serving sweet treats for decades along Liberty Road. 

Biscoff cookie butter with sweet cream drizzle, served with vanilla ice cream and topped with Biscoff cookie crumbles, whipped cream and a Biscoff cookie, that's the latest craze for customers at the business. 

A Baltimore summer tradition

On hot summer days, lines stretch to the road as people line up to get snoballs, ice cream, homemade Italian ice, and more from the stand's expansive menu.

"We always are coming up with new flavors of the week and different specials," said employee Victoria Lemon.

Currently, the Biscoff sundae, featured prominently on the store's sign, has been a big hit.

"It's been our most popular-selling sundae this year," said owner Christy.

Her parents opened the stand in 1985, and it's been at the 10636 Liberty Road location since 1987. Christy, who now runs the stand, grew up in the building, doing her homework in the back room after school and helping her parents.

"I literally lived here," said Christy. "When I was a kid, my parents would put me to sleep on an army cot in the back and then they would finish working… but I mean I've been here every summer since I was eight, so I don't really know any different."

Her 17-year-old son, Grant, works alongside her, and her husband and daughter also help when needed.

"A lot of the customers have seen me grow up here," Grant said. "I like the people here, I like the customers, the coworkers," he added.

Making the perfect Snoballs

What makes a snoball a snoball?

"I think shaved ice. I have to have shaved ice. I don't like the crunchy ice, but I mean, that's a preference. Some people like that," said Christy.

The Original Hawaiian Island Snoball serves shaved ice.

"No one has the same ice that we have; our ice is really soft," said Lemon.

The stand uses the same ice machine that's been there since Christy was a kid.

"They don't even make this anymore, these [ice machines] are literally dinosaurs," she said.

Making a snoball starts with a 10-pound block of ice, taken right from the freezer and placed in the ice machine, then the blades spin and shave the ice.

Christy said some snoball stands take cubed ice and place it in the top of a machine that crushes it, but for her and the stand's loyal customers, nothing beats shaved ice.

And the top-selling flavor? Egg Custard, of course!

"Egg custard. It's the most popular by far," she said. "I mean, on a busy day, I might make 15 gallons, and it's gone quick."

The stand offers about 100 snoball flavors — all homemade by Christy — including cream flavors, which are dairy-based.  

"I think our flavors are unmatched," said Christy.

"My favorite [flavor] has always been chocolate cream, but I'm kind of obsessed right now with a flavor called sweet dream buttercream," she added. "It's a creamy vanilla buttercream, and I'm all about it."

As for how you take your snoball, adding marshmallow is the most popular.

"Baltimore people love marshmallow," said Christy.

If marshmallow on top isn't enough, customers can order a "Sno Fluff," which is a snoball with marshmallow on top and bottom.

The stand also serves snoballs with ice cream. A "Sno Swirl" is a snoball with soft ice cream on top and bottom. A "Sno Shake" is a snoball and soft ice cream blended.

Legacy of snoballs in Baltimore

"It's all I know. I've done snoballs my entire life," said Christy. "I'm proud of what our family has built, and I've seen it grow and change and that's a pretty neat thing…I mean I wait on customers that I knew when I was in middle school, when I was in high school and I still see them on a regular basis."

Over the decades, the family business has built a community of loyal regulars.

"We have new customers. We have some people that we see every day. We have some people that we see every week," she said.

Christy has a customer who drives to the stand once a week from Frederick, and others whose first stop is to the snoball stand when they fly into town to visit family.

"I'm hoping that we're just going to continue to be part of the community," said Christy. "I'm hoping that we're going to continue to grow and you know, meet new people."

The Original Hawaiian Island Snoball is open seven days a week from noon to 9 p.m. The stand is cash only, though if you forget or need cash, there is an ATM out front.