Beloved Jersey Shore Italian ice joint closes after 25 years

Too many people, a business is nothing more than that. They come, they go. To some that bowling alley or restaurant or clothing store was such a touchstone that when it closes it forever edits a chapter of your life.

For 25 years, Strollo’s Lighthouse served Italian ice and other treats through a window on Ocean Avenue in Point Pleasant Beach. It’s all done. Their Instagram broke the news and plenty of hearts.

People have long associated a day in Point Pleasant Beach with a stop (or two) at Strollo’s. I’m sure for some it will change the Point Pleasant Beach experience a bit. That’s how I felt about trips to the Seaside Heights boardwalk after Sodl’s closed years ago. Good. Just not the same.

Sure, there are other locations of Strollo’s. There are two in Long Branch, where their story started. In fact, from their website:

“Tony Strollo brought his family recipe from Italy to Long Branch as a child. He made it in his garage and hauled it to the beachfront in an old bus he converted. For decades, Strollo’s meatball and sausage sandwiches, hot dogs, and homemade Italian Ice were part of the fabric of summers at the Shore. When families came to Long Branch, they splashed in the Atlantic Ocean, tanned on the beaches, and had at least one of Strollo’s Lemon Ices.”

There’s also a Strollo’s in Red Bank and one in the Belford section of Middletown. Plus, a new one is being built in Ocean Township at Ocean Commons shopping center on 35 at Deal Rd.

Still, for people enjoying Point Pleasant Beach that puts the closest Strollo’s more than half an hour away. And soon, as these nostalgic things do, it will also feel like a lifetime ago.

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