Half Pint Giant Ice Cream Shop Set to Open in Brunswick This Spring

Rachael Cardella and her husband Joe are trading their careers in design and software for scoops and soft-serve. The couple's new venture, Half Pint Giant, is set to open this spring at 147.5 Maine Street in downtown Brunswick, the former home of The Frappe Shoppe, with an April launch target.

The shop will be takeout-only with no seating, open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The menu covers a lot of ground for a small-format store: hard- and soft-serve ice cream, milkshakes, floats, sundaes, and chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches. Half Pint Giant will also serve "dirty sodas" in creative, custom-tailored flavors with a splash of cream.

At launch, the shop will carry eight flavors of Gifford's hard-serve ice cream alongside rotating dairy-free options. Customers can build their own vanilla soft-serve with mix-ins that include candied bacon, espresso nibs, chocolate chips, maple cookie crumbles, toasted marshmallow, nuts, and candies. The Cardellas chose to open with Gifford's while they get comfortable with the space and the rhythms of running the business. Rachael Cardella expects the shop will begin making its own hard-serve ice cream "later this year or by next year at the latest."

For both owners, this marks a significant professional pivot. Rachael currently runs Revel Engine, a Brunswick design agency, while Joe worked as a software developer until last year. Neither has owned a food business before.

"It's something totally different for us," Rachael said. "We're learning as we go. There's a lot of great small businesses here in Brunswick, and we want to be a part of helping downtown thrive."

Half Pint Giant will be located at 147.5 Maine Street, open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.