Oh-so-sweet frozen treats on a Malverne street

When you walk into Scooop, Malverne's new ice cream shop, it feels like you've walked into a scene from Now and Then, the 1995 movie that made many a little girl wish for a time machine to travel back to the early 1970s.

The family-owned Scooop, which Malverne residents Diane and John Angelis opened in place of Crystal Ice on Aug. 1, is a throwback to that era, depicted so well in the film as a time when ice cream sodas were the rage and kids could ride bikes all over town, swinging AM radios from their handlebars.

There's no question that summery, care-free, youthful vibe will go a long way toward achieving Diane's goal of making the shop Malverne's favorite hangout. And it doesn't hurt that the place, which is decorated with old family toys, stays open until 10 p.m. every day until Labor Day.

But if the inviting signs and colorful decor aren't enough to draw in customers, the selection certainly is. Patrons can choose cones, cups, sundaes, banana splits, ices, shaved ice, soft-serve, floats, milkshakes and fat-free yogurt. While children need little convincing to go to an ice cream shop, they get a bonus for coming into Scooop: chalk-board tables where they can doodle and scribble their heart's delight.

For adolescent girls, there's always the other incentive: the Angelis' three teenaged sons who take turns working shifts. Until school starts, Evan, 21, Nicholas, 18, and 14-year-old Alexander are serving up scoops with their mom, who is loving every minute of owning the shop.

"What's not to love?" Diane asked on a recent hot August day. "I love Malverne, I love the people, the community. It's so tight-knit." That's what brought the Angelis family, who owns a number of restaurants throughout New York City and parts of Long Island, including Nick's Pizza in Rockville Centre, to Malverne from Queens 13 years ago.