THIS Autumn the Arcade will become home to an exciting new business which has already gained 2,000 sweet-toothed Facebook fans in just six weeks.
Ice Queenz is the Thai-inspired 'stir-fried ice-cream' venture run by local businessman and Barnsley Market trader 49-year-old Nick Smart.
Ice Queenz is actually the brainchild of 16 year-old daughter Charlie and 40 year-old partner Janine Davies.
Ice Queenz sells sweet treats made on a large cold plate, chilled to minus 30 degrees, which turns a top secret mixture of whipping cream, condensed milk and fresh milk into rolls of delicious fresh 'stir-fired' ice-cream, peppered with chopped up chocolate bars, fresh fruit or whatever takes your fancy.
Ice Queenz's outdoor stall has been situated in Barnsley town centre outside New Look for much of the summer and has proven to been extremely popular. Now, as autumn approaches, the family are opening a dessert parlour in the Victorian Arcade after being bolstered by their recent success.
Nick said: "We wanted to start here in Barnsley as this is our base. "We've had a business here for 20 years.
"My daughter first saw this in Thailand when we went on holiday. "It was just a guy on a motorbike at the side of the road making these ice cream rolls.
"It's unique and different. We had the pan shipped over from China. We threw hundreds of pounds of ice-cream away in the beginning. My partner kept trying for about a month to get it right. "
She was so frustrated by it. We had to just keep trying different temperatures and mixtures. You've got to get it just right."
Nick said interest in the last few weeks had 'gone crazy'. "In six weeks the Ice Queenz Facebook page got 2,000 likes," he said.
"People like something unique and different and Barnsley has never had anything like this before."
When it opens in late September to early October the Ice Queenz dessert parlour will be selling waffles, crepes, ice cream rolls and 36 flavours of homemade gelato. The shop will be open seven days a week from early morning until 10pm, to cater for families looking to treat the kids and theatre go-ers from the nearby Civic.
