{"id":76976,"date":"2026-01-03T13:22:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T13:22:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/76976\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T13:22:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T13:22:16","slug":"find-sweets-sweet-nostalgia-with-new-owner-at-lehigh-valley-ice-cream-store","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/76976\/","title":{"rendered":"Find sweets, sweet nostalgia with new owner at Lehigh Valley ice cream store"},"content":{"rendered":"

As far back as her toddler years, Mylea Biggiani grew up within and alongside a Lehigh Valley ice cream shop that has operated for nearly four decades.<\/p>\n

Now as its new owner, she\u2019s ready to serve great ice cream and show why the shop is important to her \u2014 and the community.<\/p>\n

Replacing Patricia Rice, Biggiani became the owner of Emily\u2019s Ice Cream at 100 S. Main St. in Nazareth on Dec. 19, just a couple of months after the business went up for sale<\/a>. She operates under a three-year lease for the property, which she said Jay and Rebecca Orwig own.<\/p>\n

Emily\u2019s offers around two dozen flavors for ice cream and ice cream cakes, including bisque (using almond cookies), cherry vanilla, butter pecan and mint chocolate chip. She said she also intends to offer trending flavors and products.<\/p>\n

Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 at 848 Nazareth Pike in Lower Nazareth Township, just about a year before Biggiani was born.<\/p>\n

Having grown up in Nazareth and graduated from Nazareth High School, she said, \u201cEmily\u2019s has been a large part of the community and kids growing up there. All my friends got their birthday cakes from Emily\u2019s their whole lives. I have a pictures of me, I plan on hanging one in the store, eating Emily\u2019s when I was like 2 on my back porch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working under Rice at Emily\u2019s in high school and college, Biggiani left the Lehigh Valley to primarily work in social services, and had been gone from the region for about 20 years until she returned in August to be closer to family.<\/p>\n

She now lives in Allentown, and is thankful to Rice for the opportunity to become the new owner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up friends with her son and so I had a great relationship with her for a while as my friend\u2019s mother but then also my employer, and so it was really quite \u2026 serendipitous that within three or two months of me moving home, I see it\u2019s for sale,\u201d Biggiani said. \u201cBecause I had always wanted to purchase it and had expressed to her that I was very interested if she ever was ready to sell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her goal as the owner is to highlight how \u201cwonderful of a staple\u201d that Emily\u2019s has been, which includes creating a new logo based on the original sign from 1987 and wanting to decorate the store with old antiques and photos such as of the Nazareth Speedway or Martin Guitar.<\/p>\n

It can be difficult for people to find places from 20 years ago still standing at home, Biggiani said, and so she wants to evoke nostalgia for customers.<\/p>\n

When asked about her passion for Emily\u2019s and why it\u2019s important to her, Biggiani added that things like \u201cwhere we have our first jobs, where we spend time with our family, where our family regularly gets all of the cakes for the kids on their birthdays \u2014 those pieces are important. And those are the fun, nice things in life that bring us together and form our memories of our time here on this rock. And I personally have a wonderful affection for Emily\u2019s, but I know that a lot of people do, and I think that that\u2019s something so important to preserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ice cream shop operates noon to 8 p.m. all week for the winter; it\u2019s open until 10 p.m. in the summer.\n<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

New Emily\u2019s Ice Cream owner Mylea Biggiani, left, and staff members Julia Curran, Sophia Dollak and Autumn Quercia stand Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in the shop in Nazareth. Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, took over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"Emily\u2019s<\/p>\n

Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"Emily\u2019s<\/p>\n

Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

New Emily\u2019s Ice Cream staff member Autumn Quercia holds an ice cream cone Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in the shop in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, took over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

New Emily\u2019s Ice Cream owner Mylea Biggiani, left, and staff members Julia Curran, Sophia Dollak and Autumn Quercia stand Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in the shop in Nazareth. Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, took over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"Emily\u2019s<\/p>\n

Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

New Emily\u2019s Ice Cream owner Mylea Biggiani, left, and staff members Julia Curran, Sophia Dollak and Autumn Quercia stand Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in the shop in Nazareth. Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, took over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

New Emily\u2019s Ice Cream staff member Autumn Quercia holds an ice cream cone Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in the shop in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, took over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"Emily\u2019s<\/p>\n

Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

New Emily\u2019s Ice Cream staff member Autumn Quercia holds an ice cream cone Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in the shop in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, took over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"Emily\u2019s<\/p>\n

Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"Emily\u2019s<\/p>\n

Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"Emily\u2019s<\/p>\n

Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"Emily\u2019s<\/p>\n

Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"Emily\u2019s<\/p>\n

Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"Emily\u2019s<\/p>\n

Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily\u2019s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 16<\/p>\n

New Emily\u2019s Ice Cream owner Mylea Biggiani, left, and staff members Julia Curran, Sophia Dollak and Autumn Quercia stand Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in the shop in Nazareth. Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, took over from Patricia Rice. Emily\u2019s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a>
\nLehigh Valley retail and restaurant news in brief<\/p>\n

Bilal\u2019s Breakfast & Sandwiches has permanently closed<\/a> at 46 W. North St. in Bethlehem. It opened in May to replace Darto\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Griddle 145 closed Wednesday<\/a> at 1146 MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township. Staffers will transition to the new restaurant The Broken Record in Lower Macungie Township.<\/p>\n

Dunkin\u2019 opened a new kiosk<\/a> at the Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall Township.<\/p>\n

Old Mecca Caf\u00e9 announced Tuesday<\/a> it would close at 527 Northampton St. in Easton \u201cdue to circumstances outside of our control.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cafe opened in February<\/a> and shared the property with Atelier Jolie Gallery. Omnaia Abdou, who owns the gallery and co-owns the cafe, couldn\u2019t be reached for comment.<\/p>\n

Retail Watch is a weekly column covering retail and restaurant news in the Lehigh Valley. Have a question, tip, or want to see something in the area? Contact retail reporter Graysen Golter at retailwatch@mcall.com.<\/p>\n

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