A fruity type of Mexican ice cream will soon be scooped and served in north Fort Smith.

La Nueva Michoacana Mexican Ice Cream Factory will open by May in a former restaurant space off Rogers Avenue.

A pink and white striped roof and trim paint job is complete on the former Chinese Kitchen Super Buffet at the corner of 18th Street and Rogers Avenue.

Angelica Mejia, a Mexican native who has lived in Fort Smith for 33 years, and Guadalupe Gonzales were preparing the kitchen and working behind the counter about two weeks before planning to open.

Mejia explained how Mexican ice cream is made.

"Mexican ice cream is homemade. Everything is homemade with fresh fruit and everything is delicious because the fruit is fresh," Mejia said.

There are a variety of flavors, she said. Bananas, pineapples and cantaloupes were on the shelves behind the counter as she spoke.

Mejia said she is ready to open a business in Fort Smith as a resident of the city.

"It is exciting to me because when I came here I did not have a green card. Now I have a green card. I have my residency and my husband Roberto and family have done hard work," she said.

Her children Jessica, Salvador and Roberto help with the work, she said.

"My business is my family," Angelica Mejia said.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Mexican ice cream shop opening in Fort Smith