Photo by Deb Gau La Michoacana Elite owner Vanessa Leon and her daughter Kylinn Avalos stand behind the counter at the ice cream shop, as the business got ready to open for the day. La Michoacana Elite opened this summer on East College Drive, offering a variety of treats.

MARSHALL — When she opened her new business, Vanessa Leon said her goal was to share the fun and flavors of a Mexican ice cream shop with Marshall.

“It’s more like an experience. We try to bring a little taste of what Mexico’s treats look like,” Leon said. “We want it to be a place where families can gather.”

Leon opened La Michoacana Elite in late July at the former CherryBerry location on East College Drive. Leon said it’s been good to see the response from the community.

“It’s been busy. We’ve had good customer support,” she said.

At first, she said, “A lot of people stopped by just because they were intrigued.”

But after more than a month of being in business, they were starting to see some regular customers, she said.

La Michoacana is a well-known name for Mexican ice cream parlors. It’s not an official restaurant chain, but many ice cream shops use the name for their businesses, Leon explained.

Leon said she wanted to be able to bring customers the experience of going to an ice cream shop and getting a special treat. When she was growing up, she said, “It was something to look forward to.”

A Mexican-style ice cream shop would also offer something different in Marshall, Leon said.

Leon said the idea to open her business was sparked a couple of years ago. While on vacation with her family, Leon saw an advertisement for classes on how to open your own ice cream business.

“It was a very intense course,” with long days, she said. “They taught you everything. I really enjoyed it.”

After that, it took around another year of planning to make La Michoacana Elite a reality.

“It took about seven months to get everything ready,” Leon said.

Leon said she thought the location of the former CherryBerry frozen yogurt business could be a good fit for an ice cream shop. The commercial space was almost completely empty to start with, and a lot of work went into painting and decorating it, she said.

“We actually had to start from the beginning,” she said.

“Our plan was to open in May, but we had a few extra steps,” Leon said.

It took a while to bring in equipment for making frozen treats. One machine for making ice cream, which was being shipped from Mexico, was delayed at the border due to tariffs, she said.

When La Michoacana Elite opened its doors, the response from customers was good, Leon said.

“At first, I think people were a little curious about what we were selling,” she said.

La Michoacana Elite offers a wide variety of treats, from ice cream and paletas — ice pops — to fruit drinks and desserts like mini pancakes. Leon said the menu also includes snacks like nachos, and corn on the cob with Mexican cheese and hot sauce.

Leon said another popular treat with customers was the mangonada, which is made with mango sorbet, chamoy sauce, chili powder and mango pieces.

“We make everything here,” using ingredients like fresh fruit, Leon said. “It’s inspired by traditional flavors and culture.” There were also gluten-free and dairy-free treat options, she said.

Looking toward the future, Leon said she wanted to be open to offering new kinds of flavors, and seasonal treats.

Leon said she’s enjoyed seeing people come into the shop.

“Interacting with customers, and seeing friends and family — it’s been great,” she said.