New ice cream shop opens on city's north side

Tyler Juranovich, Kokomo Tribune, Ind.
·2 min read

Apr. 28—Kokomo has a new ice cream shop.

Wally and Olly's is now open at 419 E. Gano St. on the city's north side. The new restaurant serves ice cream in the form of waffle and cake cones, sundaes, milkshakes and more.

The new business is the work of Ron and Debbie Toth, who opened their first Wally and Olly's in Logansport two years ago in an old Standard Oil gas station near the banks of the Eel river. The name of the shop comes from the nicknames of their 7-year-old grandsons, Oliver Toth and Warren Rayls.

The Kokomo Wally and Olly's will be very similar to the Logansport location, serving both Glover's Ice Cream and Dean's Ice Cream. The Kokomo location does serve some hot food, including hot dogs, Coney dogs, nachos, taco salads, soft shell tacos, pulled pork sandwiches, pretzels and breadsticks.

The Toths bought the 450-square-foot building last year and decorated it in their signature old fashioned style, complete with Coca-Cola signs and a life-sized Betty Boop figurine.

Wally and Olly's has been open for less than two weeks, but the community support has already exceeded expectations.

"We are doing far better than I ever expected to be without any advertising," Debbie Toth said. "It's been all word of mouth."

For the Toths, Wally and Olly's is much more than an ice cream shop.

Debbie Toth's late father loved ice cream so much and wanted to open up an ice cream shop but never did. Ron Toth has always wanted to open a restaurant, so the couple decided to open an ice cream restaurant to fulfill that dream and the dream of Debbie Toth's parents.

"My mom and dad, if they were still alive, you can bet that they would be right over there serving ice cream, sitting out front" Debbie Toth said. "My dad would be talking to the little kids. My mom would be bossing people around. I see that vision in my head everyday when I walk through the door."

The new restaurant is also an expression of love to the city's north end, where the Toths have lived for decades, raised their children and have made numerous friends.

"It makes my heart happy," Debbie Toth said about getting to open a business in the north end. "It makes my heart full."

Tyler Juranovich can be reached at 765-454-8577, by email at tyler.juranovich@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @tylerjuranovich.