Iconic Ice Cream Shop Cream King in Pennington, NJ Has New Owners

Long live Cream King.

The iconic treat stand that's been around since 1956 in Hopewell, NJ has new owners once again.

Lifelong Hopewell residents are the new owners of Cream King

Olivia and Mike Matejka, lifelong Hopewell residents, have taken over and couldn't be more excited for the upcoming season which kicks off in April.

Before the Matejkas, Stacy and Joe Paolella owned the popular spot for 16 years, putting it up for sale in the fall of 2023.

At the time, the customers were worried about the sale of their favorite spot to meet up with neighbors and friends...thinking it wouldn't stay the same under new ownership.

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Stacy Paolella said, "A lot of disbelief, a lot of questions," referring to the customers' reaction to their decision to sell. "It's just time. I've been here a long time, and it's time to do something else in the summer."

The couple was crossing their fingers that the new owner would "love ice cream and the community as much as they do."

From what I've heard, Cream King is in good hands.

The new owners have a connection with the original owners

The new owners have a connection to the original owners of Kreme King (that was how it was spelled originally).

Soon after first opening Kreme King, they built the house the Matejkas live in now.

The couple has found classic items from the old shop like to-go bags in the house.

How cool is that?

It's probably safe to say there are a ton of people with the best memories of Cream King.

I do.

I grew up in Cranbury, NJ, about 20 minutes or so from Hopewell. In the summer, while on the Cranbury Swim Club swim team, we'd travel to Hopewell for swim meets against Hopewell Valley and always stop at Cream King with the team for treats after the meet. Everyone would get so excited to go there each summer.

READ MORE: These 3 NJ restaurants are the best in the country, according to Yelp.

Cream King will be opening for the season in April

Opening day is coming up in April.

Maybe I'll see you there.

Cream King is located at 46 Route 31 in Pennington, NJ.