SALISBURY — During last Tuesday’s city council meeting, Mayor Karen Alexander proclaimed July as Ice Cream Month for the city of Salisbury. The perfect summer treat is officially getting some recognition right when ice cream stores are seeing more customers who want something delicious that will also cool them off. Salisbury is home to all kinds of ice cream stores that offer almost too many flavors to count.

Fullers Market on South Main Street is a modern update on the classic soda fountain from the 1950s. After someone shops for some sports apparel, they can sit at the counter and buy themselves a milkshake. Some of their most popular flavors are cappuccino crunch and cookies and cream with owner Samantha Wells highlighting the quality of ice cream that they have as part of their success.

“We do sell a good bit of ice cream in the summer time. Hershey, I would say, is probably one of the best ice creams honestly out there if you ask me because you can’t really go anywhere else and get it,” Wells said.

Fullers Market’s biggest calling card to attract customers is its ice cream parlor complete with a counter, red barstools, a blackboard and vintage Cheerwine memorabilia that add to the ambiance of the place.

“They feel like it brings them back in time. They like to come in and reminisce about on their childhood,” Wells said. “We do have a lot of people, older people, too, that come and just want to see at the fountain and eat their ice cream.”

Ice cream is loved by most, but not by those who have a dairy allergy or are vegan. Luckily, Tita’s Cake House on East Innes Street has a delectable option for anyone who can’t stomach regular ice cream. Tita’s provides Artisen Vegelato, vegan and gluten-free gelato, that goes against the grain of dairy desserts. Isabella Smith, an employee at Tita’s, says they keep 12 to 15 flavors on hand and whether it’s brownie or guava, people keep coming back.

“They have a positive reaction. I feel like that’s a good selling point for us because a lot more people than I expected have a gluten allergies and dairy sensitivities and I didn’t really realize that before,” Smith said.

For over 70 years, the Dairy Queen on West Innes Street has been a staple in Salisbury to the point where the building itself has barely changed since it opened. In all of that time, several ice cream stores have competed with them, but Dairy Queen owner Melissa Utley is grateful to still be in business and enjoyed by Salisbury.

“Things come and go over the years, but I think people have different preferences of how they like their ice cream. I’m just glad that we’ve around so long and they love us,” Utley said.

Ice cream can makes someone’s day better just by them having it. It may sound superfluous to some, but Ice Cream Month is the ideal reminder that it’s the little things that count the most.

“Ice cream is good every month, but we’ll take a month for us, too.” Utley said. “July is a good month to be Ice Cream Month.”