Best Homemade Ice Cream in Farmington: Columbia St. Mercantile Dishes It Out at Country Days Festival
- Thomas Smugala
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
I love this time of year. Everything's greened up, tourism explodes, and all the festivals start happening—the May Fest in Perryville, the Azelya Festival in Fredericktown, Cape Girardeau Spring Carnival, and Farmington’s Country Days Festival. Rides, games, cotton candy, and seeing old friends. Yup, nothing like a good old-fashioned carnival. The carneys ride in, set up, and go on their way to the next town. And like most festivals, when the streets get closed, some businesses find it a challenge, and others reap the whirlwind. Â
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When downtown Farmington hosts Country Days, one business will be open and ready to serve some of the best hand-made ice cream in the kingdom. We are talking about the Columbia Street Mercantile. Meet Whiney and her band of soft-serving, wonderfully delicious ice cream makers.
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Whitney and John Maddux—they can dish it out!
Columbia St Mercantile in Farmington is a charming small-town destination that brings together homemade ice cream, nostalgic candy, along with unique gifts and toys at 30 E Columbia St in the heart of downtown.
Nostalgic, old-timey candies are a hoot!
Under new owners, the shop has quickly become a local favorite by making small-batch ice cream fresh daily in-house. With around 32 rotating flavors, happy eaters enjoy creamy scoops of deliciousness in cones, cups, sundaes, banana splits, parfaits, flights, and ice cream sandwiches made with cookies or cake rolls.
Some 32 rotating flavors for happy eaters enjoy.
Two made-to-order cannolis, one dipped in chocolate, with chocolate and original filling.
Beyond the ice cream counter, the mercantile overflows with candy selections ranging from modern favorites to old-fashioned classics. Shelves feature fun toys and gifts, including brands like TY, House of Marbles, Metal Earth, and Timber Tots, making it a perfect stop for families, kids, and anyone seeking a sweet treat or thoughtful souvenir—be warned, your kids will need to be dragged out of the place.
A rockin' cool dinning area with games for all the happy eaters to add to the experience.
Whitney and John love happy kids at their counter.
My name is Whitney Maddux. My husband, John, and I live just outside of Farmington with our 4 children: Jackson (12), Quinton (10), Lynnea (8), and Huxley (6). My husband is a high school science teacher in Festus. We live about five minutes from both my brothers and my parents. Family is very important to me, which is one of the reasons I have focused the ice cream shop on being a family-friendly space. We enjoy playing games together, exploring nature, and camping.
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Whitney make all the ice cream fresh just to taste delicous.
Whitney putting the finishing touches on a batch of Reese's Swirl ice cream.
Making ice cream is one of the most fun and creative parts of my job. I look for inspiration everywhere. When I'm at the grocery store, and I see a new snack or treat, I think about how those flavors could translate to ice cream. When I am listening to the radio and hear a new coffee described, I think about how I would combine those flavors. Inspiration is everywhere you go if you take the time to look. I try to make at least one new ice cream a month.
A black and gold ice cream pie with a slice ready to eat.
Display of 4 hand dipped ice creams in assorted cones.
Quick, I'm melting!
Whitney Maddux (Owner) and Jody Pike behind the dipping case, ready to scoop ice cream.
Our happy eaters have a lot to be happy about—cheers.
My favorite new ice creams to make are customer requests. I love it when my regular customers tell me about an ice cream they had while traveling or a dessert they loved and ask if it could be made into ice cream. Maybe even more special are my customers who come in for the dairy-free options. It is so hard to find dairy-free ice cream, but with the rise of Alpha Gal syndrome, we have more and more community members who have to avoid dairy. The last thing I want is for a child to feel left out because she can't have ice cream like the rest of the family. So my non-dairy customers are special. And when they put in a request, I do my best to make it happen.
An ice cream sandwich dipped in sprinkles
I absolutely love seeing kids come into the shop who are awed by the choices. It's a joy to give a child a sample of a new ice cream and see their grin when they love it. Some children are picky; they want their favorite ice cream every time. But others are just delighted to have ice cream, any ice cream, all the ice cream. Every Friday, a grandma brings in her two-year-old granddaughter. The girl always tries something new, and I love watching how big her grin gets to taste that first bite.
Fresh-made Oreo shake—yes, please.
Hot Caramel Sundae with coffee ice cream and heath pieces—wait for it!
In the coming weeks, two new things are coming to our ice cream shop. We will begin offering Dirty Sodas made to order.
A varity of old-timey sodas to choose from.
Dirty Sodas are sodas with added flavorings and cream. It's a fun twist on soda, similar to a float. Second, I am working on perfecting my handmade waffle cones to offer fresh waffle cones to our customers. It is important to me to make what I can in-house, so I know that things are made with fresh ingredients—look out for them at Country Days.
Old-timey candies are great fun to try.
During the fair the Mercantile will still be dishing it out.
Farmington Country Days is a beloved annual community festival held the first full weekend in June in downtown Farmington, Missouri. The event transforms downtown into a vibrant celebration of small-town Americana.
Highlights include a large carnival with exciting rides, a parade, a classic car show, craft vendors, and free live music on multiple stages. Families enjoy kid-friendly activities, contests, food vendors, and more—all with no gate admission. This three-day festival draws thousands for entertainment and community spirit, making it a cherished tradition.
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Get Out There! Visit somewhere. Get some ice cream. Go for a hike. Sing in the shower. Do something. Do anything. Get out there, that sunken sofa won't miss you—time's a-wasting!
—Pics and words by Supreme Leader Smugala
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