Hawaiian Jim’s Shave Ice at York Beach saved by local family, celebrates 35th season

YORK, Maine — Hawaiian Jim’s Shave Ice nearly missed its 35th season at Short Sands Beach, but another local family has helped them secure a last-minute lease on Railroad Ave.

Trevor Fitzgerald learned this spring he would not be able to return Hawaiian Jim’s to its service window at the space he shared with Stevie D’s. It was the second year in a row Hawaiian Jim’s needed a new location, and Fitzgerald said spaces at Short Sands Beach are not easy to come by.

It was through his former diving instructor, David Woods, that Fitzgerald secured a location nearby at 21 Railroad Ave. so they could open in July. The Woods family owns businesses around York, including Wiggly Bridge Distillery and York Oil and Propane. Fitzgerald contacted Woods in May and signed the lease Tuesday.

Now, Hawaiian Jim’s is preparing to open by July 15. They have been serving their traditional Hawaiian shaved ice with syrup on top since James and Jodie Nielson founded the business in York in 1988.

Fitzgerald, who bought the business in 2005, called the anniversary a “milestone.” He said the business has built its legacy on not just success, but dedication to hard work, customers and family.

“That’s what it is for me. It shouldn’t be just about money. It should be about creating community,” Fitzgerald said. “I think that’s what shave ice has given over the years.”

Wedding Cake House: Maine’s most photographed home seeks new life as seasonal attraction

Hawaiian Jim’s a staple at York Beach

Hawaiian Jim’s serves shaved ice made like James Nielsen learned to make growing up in Hawaii. The dessert was traditionally enjoyed by workers on Hawaiian plantations who needed something to cool them off, according to James Nielsen. Often, they would use Asian adzuki beans to create a sweet flavor, though Hawaiian Jim’s substitutes that with ice cream at the bottom.

Jodie Nielsen moved to Hawaii in high school and went to college there, meeting James Nielsen shortly after graduating. James Nielsen had been working at a shave ice place, and so the two decided to move back to York to launch a shave ice business.

They started in the space where Bill and Bob’s is today, their first sale being a $3 order for shaved ice with grape, lime and orange flavors.

“We started off with nothing. Just a machine on a milk carton crate,” James Nielsen recalled.

The two eventually moved around the beach, first to the end of the block near Euphoria Salon, then near the former movie theater that was at York Beach until 2006.

In 2005, the Nielsens decided to sell their business to Fitzgerald, who by then had become practically family to the couple. He had grown up coming down to Hawaiian Jim’s, often riding his bike, and when he was old enough, he started working there, too. Fitzgerald then moved the building to a space right next to Sweet Josie’s Candy Shoppe where it stayed until last year.

Waves: Beach boutique reopens in new Ogunquit spot after devastating flood

Hawaiian Jim’s scrambles for space two years in a row

Fitzgerald had to move in 2022 to Stevie D’s location at 15 Railroad Ave. after he said a change in ownership of his prior space forced him to leave. He ended the season last year thinking he would be able to continue in the window space there while Stevie D’s continued to operate in the same building.

This April, Fitzgerald learned that the landlord was looking to rent the entire building to one tenant rather than run his restaurant there. He offered Fitzgerald the opportunity first, but Fitzgerald said he could not fill the entire space and declined. He said shortly after, the landlord gave the space to the owners of a Thai food place, Pattaya Thai.In May, Fitzgerald said he received a text from a friend that the Woods family had a space they were looking to lease at 21 Railroad Ave. The family had previously used it as a location for their Wiggly Bridge distillery but eventually moved their operation out of the beach. Today the Woodses have their distillery on Route 1.

Fitzgerald said he reached out to David Woods about leasing the space, which is about 600 square feet. It took May until June to finalize the deal, but they locked down a three-year lease, keeping Hawaiian Jim’s in one place for the coming few seasons.

Fitzgerald is also a sales representative for Oakley sunglasses and said it might have been easier to let the summer go without a Hawaiian Jim’s. He said the business has been an important part of his family, including his mother who has been closely involved and recently battled ovarian cancer. He said he talked about opening again this year with his wife and that she shed tears over the thought of leaving the business behind.

“I think whenever you have a business, and you’ve had it for so long, it’s like raising a child. You want to see it continue,” Fitzgerald said. “You want to see it thrive.”

York House of Pizza: Here is what new owner has planned for Village staple

Fitzgerald hopes to keep growing Hawaiian Jim’s

The Hawaiian Jim’s name has grown to other vacation spots in New England.

Family friends of Fitzgerald now run Hawaiian Jim’s locations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Everyone involved in the Hawaiian Jim’s brand remains close friends, including the founders who hired Fitzgerald years ago. The Nielsen’s son Jayce also managed Fitzgerald’s store last year and now sells shave ice through a mobile Hawaiian Jim’s trailer.

Fitzgerald said he hopes the Hawaiian Jim’s brand continues to grow to other places in New England. James Nielsen said he was emotional when thinking about the business’s legacy and never expected it to grow like it has.

“The family aspect of it, all the employees we’ve had, some of them moving on to having shave ice,” James Nielsen said. “Not in my wildest imagination.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hawaiian Jim’s Shave Ice finds new home at Short Sands Beach in York