If you're willing to make the drive out to Helotes, Gable's Ice Cream Sliders is sure to reward you with old-fashioned frozen treats to cool you from that unforgiving afternoon sun.
Founder and owner Donnie Guill opened Gable's in December 2014, in part because of his life-long sweet tooth and as a tribute to his father, Gable.
"He was a soda jerk for a while, since he was 19 years old, so when we opened, we decided it'd be nice to name it after him," Guill said.
Gable's signature sliders include your choice of two cookies and a scoop of ice cream. You also have your choice of crunchy Rice Krispies or a house-favorite Fruity Pebbles disc instead for no extra cost. With 13 cookies (all made in-house) and 16 ice cream flavors, there are over 1,000 combinations to try, each under $3.
"We try to keep our prices really low. I try to keep them as low as I could because I think when you take your family out to many places like the froyo places, especially the ones where they weigh it, it ends up being $6 or $7 dollars for a cup. And so here two people can eat for that," Guill said.
Even though the store sells a delicious product, Gable's had a slow growth due to an abnormally wet spring and April's Blue Bell Ice Cream recall.
"I was doing exclusive Blue Bell ice cream because it's a good quality product, good flavor, good consistency and everything and they deliver two times a week, so it was really easy for me to maintain that," she said. "Then when [the recall] happened, I had to scramble and do it through a grocery supplier."
It has been a scramblin' struggle since then, one which she has made work for the most part: "So I have a mismatch of flavors and brands but I've tried to sample everything before I brought it in the be sure it has good taste."
As you walk into the store, you find contributions by members of the Guill family dotted throughout the space. Guill's son is a graphic designer who created the store's logo and color scheme, while his daughter is an interior decorator who envisioned the layout. On the walls are black and white photos of grandchildren and family members, making the lobby feel warm and homey.
Whether you prefer a slider, a hot fudgy brownie with bacon or just a snow cone, add a drive out to Gable's to your must-do list.
There are more than 1,000 – count 'em – ice cream sando combos to try at Gable's.
