Born and raised in Michigan City, Jessika Wallen has a profound love for her community. She grew up on Trail Creek and her first job was at Carlson’s Drive-In, but she has a fond memory of riding her bike up to Frosty Boy.
“We were always excited about the eyeballs that came out of the ice cream cones,” Wallen said.
After 11 years at Carlson’s, she began to venture into the corporate world. She wasn’t satisfied working in finance and insurance and always had a dream of opening a bakery. Her love of ice cream followed her throughout her life, and Wallen became the owner of Frosty Boy after seeing an online ad. Wallen has three seasons of running Frosty Boy under her belt, but two where she is officially the owner.
“I was just scrolling through Facebook one day and saw that Frosty Boy was for sale. I reached out to the owner, we met, and the rest was history,” said Wallen. “It just clicked, it made sense, so I went for it.”
Wallen wanted a place that the locals loved as well as one they could afford. She also wanted to foster a place that gives back to the community and will forever have a place in the community’s hearts.
"I really try to stay active in the community and I try to keep my pricing where it's affordable because I know what it's like to try to feed a big family,” Wallen said. “It was always a luxury to be able to go out to eat, or even just go out for a treat. I really try to keep my pricing affordable so that people can afford to come here and enjoy a treat once in a while.”
Maintaining an affordable price for her customers and other locals isn’t the only thing Wallen does for her community. Every year she donates to the local high school’s prom, and she sponsors sports teams such as volleyball and soccer. Recently Frosty Boy held an event where it gave back to the school lunch ladies. She gave away gift cards to help families with their back-to-school needs and held summer raffles where prizes included beach toys and other games.
Wallen truly makes an impact on her community because it means a lot to her.
“If you don't give back to where you live, how are we supposed to grow? How are we supposed to succeed, V" said Wallen. “I really do enjoy investing in our youth and community.”
Frosty Boy invests in youth by hiring teens and young adults every year. Wallen believes it's important for them to have a first job that molds them into the adults they need to be.
“Our youth is our future, so when we don't invest in our youth and in our communities, we don't have a future,” Wallen said. “I try to teach them real-life priorities: you know, responsibility and integrity and how important it is to be kind. I appreciate them and their hard work. I hope they get the same kind of joy that I get out of it, watching them grow.”
Wallen also mentioned how important it is to shop at and support small and local businesses, as Frosty Boy is a small business itself.
“I'm really big on supporting other local businesses. Everybody should be kind because they don't realize what everybody's going through,” Wallen said. “The world is a scary place and the only way to get through it is to just be there for each other and be kind. There are a lot of small businesses out there that are struggling, so we just have to stick together.”
Wallen stays busy running Frosty Boy, but when she isn’t working or giving back to her community, she can be seen frequenting local karaoke bars to sing and also enjoys scrapbooking. She loves to travel with her husband and five children, a favorite destination being Disney World.
To enjoy a delicious treat and a place that makes you feel at home visit Wallen and her Frosty family at Frosty Boy located at Evergreen Plaza in Michigan City.