Hospitality veteran and founder of Funwoody in Dunwoody Village, David Abes launched his latest venture this week: a retro sweets store called Good Vibes Ice Cream Shop & Soda Pop. Located a few steps from Bar(n), Morty’s Meat & Supply, Yoffi, and Message in a Bottle, it offers ice cream, brownies, sundaes, milkshakes, floats, and house-made sodas in a bright and colorful space.
“There was need for a dessert shop, and we wanted to make it a hangout,” Abes says. “The shopping center was built in the ’70s so we embraced it and made it retro.”
With a flower power-style ice cream pattern on the wall, a “Good Vibes” neon sign, and a disco ball, the space is warm and welcoming. Unlike the former Bruster’s, which did not offer indoor seating, Good Vibes invites guests to dine in or enjoy their treats in the Funwoody courtyard. There are even video games like Donkey Kong and Pac-Man to play for $0.50.
Eighteen flavors of ice cream are available at a time, including the coffee-based Rush Hour, blue-yellow-red Superman, and chocolate chunked 285 Pothole, plus mint chocolate chip, and peanut butter cup. At least one seasonal flavor will be offered each month. There are nondairy and sugar-free options, too. All the ice cream is kosher and features labels detailing allergens. However, it is not made in house; instead, it comes from Ashby’s Sterling in Michigan.
“I wanted it to be a consistent, great quality product. We taste tested a lot of ice creams and this was the best one,” Abes explained.
Good Vibes features 15 classic toppings, from hot fudge and rainbow sprinkles to M&Ms and gummy worms. David’s wife, Julie Abes, is serving her Batter chocolate chip cookie dough as a topping or a standalone dessert. Pastry chef Robin Jacobs created four types of brownies: red velvet cheesecake, butterscotch caramel, double chocolate, and Candy Salad.
Look for Fizzy’s Craft Sodas in options like Raspberry Fields Forever (Dr Pepper with raspberry puree, coconut, and cream), Dinowoody (Fresca with passion fruit and mango puree), and Orange Whip (Fanta with vanilla and cream). All are served over crushed ice. Take it to Bar(n) and make it a Fuzzy by adding alcohol. Another option is H2-OH—handcrafted beverages with a water base and purees, sugar-free syrups, and creams added in. Named after Dunwoody swim teams, the H2-OHs come in flavors like the Wynterhall Warriors (peach-pineapple-raspberry-vanilla) and DCC Breeze (watermelon-vanilla).
“It’s been nice to see the community come together here,” Abes says.
