Made in MO: Pop Art

A gourmet popsicle shop in the Ozarks is a dessert destination

This article originally appeared in the May 2022 issue of Missouri Life magazine. A glowing pink popsicle highlights the new sign of an innovative dessert shop in downtown Branson. Since opening Mainstreet Pops (formerly Dreamsicle’s) in 2017, Brooke and Rodger Jones have cultivated a bright, energetic atmosphere with colorful decor that matches their festive frozen treats.

You can craft your perfect popsicle starting with a base of house-made gelato, ice cream, or gluten- and dairy-free vegan sorbet made from fruit. Next, dip or drizzle your pop with a selection of chocolate—milk, dark, and white—cookie butter, and crunchy coconut. Toppings are the next step, with everything from Oreo cookies, nuts, sprinkles, and cotton candy to gummy bears, caramel bits, and fruit at your disposal. The finishing touch is a dusting of cinnamon, chili lime, sea salt, and Oreo or graham cracker crumbs. “It’s a fun, unique, and special experience,” Brooke says. “We use high-quality, fresh, local, and natural ingredients, and we have something for everyone, including sugar-free options.” If you’d rather leave the creativity to their expert crew, try one of Mainstreet Pops’ signature recipes ready to soothe your sweet tooth. The artisan menu includes Almond Joy (coconut gelato, chocolate dip, almonds, and toasted coconut), Banana Split (vanilla ice cream, chocolate, cookie butter, bananas, strawberries, and pecans), Chocolate Turtle (salted caramel gelato, chocolate dip, pecans, caramel bits, and sea salt), and Strawberry Cheesecake (cheesecake gelato, chocolate dip, graham crackers, and strawberries). Seasonal offerings, like Pumpkin Spice Latte (pumpkin pie gelato, white chocolate dip, crunchy caramel shards, and cookie butter drizzle) and Cherry Bomb (cherry sorbet, white chocolate dip, almonds, and a sea salt dusting), combined with holiday specials, such as MangoChili-Lime (mango sorbet, white chocolate drizzle, and chili-lime dust) for Cinco de Mayo and Polar Express (Nutella gelato, white chocolate dip, mini marshmallows, and milk chocolate drizzle) for Christmas, ensure that even the most frequent customers have something new to devour. In addition, the shop offers ice packs for to-go orders of six or more pops, which keep the chilly confections from melting for up to two hours. “We have about twenty different flavors available at any given time,” Rodger says. “We get some of our ideas from customers, and we just experiment and try different things. It’s unlimited what you can do.” By tagging their social media posts with #sharehappy, the Mainstreet Pops team makes it clear that serving up smiles is just as important as providing a premium product. Brooke and Rodger pride themselves on promoting a family-focused, Christian culture that extends to their employees and customers. Patrons get complimentary pops on their birthdays, and even Fido is welcome with sorbet puppy pops available for free with any purchase. From weddings and baby showers to proms and graduation celebrations, the business has also hosted and catered important life events, helping to make delicious memories worth savoring. “When people take a bite, you can see the happiness in their face, and you see them light up. That’s so rewarding to me,” Rodger says. Visit MainstreetPopsBranson.com or “Mainstreet Pops Branson” on Facebook.