Monkey Business
New Merrimack Street ice cream shop swings into town

By Kathleen Pierce, kpierce@lowellsun.com

Downtown Lowell entrepreneurs ham it up during an interview about their latest business, ice cream and treats shop Monkeys. From left are Andy Jacobson, Franky Descoteaux and Matt Descoteaux. SUN PHOTOS/JULIA MALAKIE

LOWELL -- It's 97 degrees in the shade, and at least one new business on Merrimack Street isn't feeling the heat.

As 40 to 50 people an hour walk into Monkeys all sweaty, and walk out with a Grease Monkey smoothie or a cone of Caribbean coconut ice cream, owners Matt and Franky Descoteaux and Andy Jacobson are smiling.

"We really worked hard to get open in time for this type of weather. It was definitely worth it. We wanted people to think of us on hot days," said Matt Descoteaux, who also runs the Mambo Grill up the street with Franky, his wife.

When the doors opened two weeks ago for Lowell's new ice cream shop at 66 Merrimack St. -- formerly home to Moody's Buried Treasures, which moved to the Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H. -- downtown workers poked their heads in with glee.

"I fantasized about black raspberry ice cream the other day," said Jim Wilde, who works down the street at the Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership.

"I will be a regular. It's a great little social place, too. Everyone will need to take an extra walk around the block, though, to work it off," he said, digging into a frosty cone.

Monkeys carries 23 flavors of ice cream and frozen yogurt from Annabelle's in Portsmouth, N.H. The tropical shop with a purple monkey motif features a machine that turns hard-pack into soft serve. Sumatra coffee will be brewed daily and baked goods like cupcakes are coming soon. During the winter, owners expect to sell chocolate and penny candy.

"We want this to be kid-focused and friendly," said Franky Descoteaux.

With Monkeys and other projects in the pipeline, the Descoteauxs and Jacobson, who runs Brew'd Awakening Coffeehaus on Market Street, are doing their part to change the face of downtown Lowell.

"It's all about filling niches. We think about what we want and fill in the gap," said Matt Descoteaux.

Another retail gap the Descoteauxs are filling is in the clothes and house wares department.

Employee Kristen Cognac, 19, of Lowell, prepares a hot fudge sundae.

In mid-July they plan to open Humanity at 128 Merrimack St., a space where George's Jewelers most recently occupied. The store will sell fashionable clothes for women and men and home decor items that would appeal to the 17- to 34-year-old set. "We are trying to do the best we can and are hoping to build this community," said Franky Descoteaux. With Monkeys, the trio moved fast; it took just a month to get from concept to completion. "Once we had the name, everything fell into place," said Matt Descoteaux. And where did that name come from? "We thought about what makes you happy. And I said monkeys."

This article appeared in the Lowell Sun on Thursday, June 12, 2008