Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Sudduth.
Hi Christian, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
As a child I was a very picky eater and there were very few things on any menu that I would find appealing. However there was a snowball stand not far from my parent’s house that I would always want to go to in the summers. I would find anyone I could who would be willing to take me there of course. Later on in my life when I moved to Hilton Head in my mid-20’s I was at a crossroads in my life. I had been caught up in the recession of 2008 so I did not have a job and I was finishing my graduate degree. I really did not know what I wanted to do with my life. It was my family’s idea that I start a business since I had always wanted to be my own boss. It sounded like a wonderful idea but I still did not have a good direction of well, what kind of business? Again my family suggested that I sell shaved ice. Their argument was; you live in the south- its hot most of the year, you live in a beach town- there’s tons of families that visit here every year, but most importantly there’s kids….lot of them- they are your target group.
So after I bought an ice shaver (which I still use the original to this day) and some syrups I started doing events at birthday parties, festivals & farmers markets. Just to try it out to see if I wanted to be serious with it. After doing this for two years and finally deciding that I was going to be for real with this and also when I could make my own syrups on my own (which customers loved) I decided that I wanted to find a brick & mortar location where I could operate on set days with set hours.
When it came to décor I did not know what I wanted to put in my shop. Again it was my family who came through again. They suggested that since I am a Lego nut and I was always making these beautiful creations that I should put them on display in my store. After all what is the point in creating something wonderful if the only who sees it is you?
Fast forward to now it has been 16 years since I started on this journey and 14 years that I have had my store. The collection of creations on display has grown (almost to the point where I am running out of room) and so has my clientele. I been fortunate enough to experience professional success on countless levels and having my shop has opened up so many more opportunities that I would have never dreamed to of been possible. It has as they say taken a lot of setbacks, sweat & tears to get to where I am but it has all made it worthwhile. I love what I do, and I am very blessed to say that.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has most definitely not been a smooth road. At times it has been really scary. With the exception of Hurricane Matthew wiping out the marina where my shop is located on Hilton Head. In the summer of 2023, disaster struck my shop at the worst possible time too. Summers are a very busy time for my shop and especially the week of July 4th. Early on a Saturday morning sometime around 3am, I got a call from a neighbor of mine who lives next door to my shop that there was a big problem. She told me that there was water gushing out from under my door. Within a matter of minutes I was out the door and rushed to my shop. When I arrived I did indeed see the water running out from my store. I unlocked the door and flipped on the light switch and my heart just sank. My whole shop was flooded. It was like a scene out of a sinking ship; my mats, trashcans…anything that could float was bobbing up and down in the water. In hindsight I probably should have waited for the fire department to arrive, but being a concerned and desperate shop owner; I had to do something to save my child (my store). I found the water supply and turned it off and that thankfully stopped the flooding. After that I remember it all being a blur; I cried my eyes out thinking that I was never going to recover. All of my hard work that I had invested so much time and effort into was gone after 11 years. Thankfully I was able to open my shop back up in a week and I was able to recover but it would not have been possible if not for the efforts of so many people and some very lucky bounces that went my way. I learned that you can work so hard for something and it can be taken away from you in a blink of an eye; but more importantly I learned that if you get a chance to have back what was taken from you that you loved so much; you have to love it even more.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Sno Cones By Chris?
My business is the only brick-&-mortar dessert shop on Hilton Head Island that is also an art gallery. I offer over 43 home-made flavors of shaved ice that customers can pick from. But the best part about my store is the Lego art that I have created and built in the 14 years that I have had my shop. Nearly 95% of the creations on display in my store are custom-made. They did not come in a box with instructions. They were made from my own imagination.
In addition to the wonderful selection of flavors and impressive gallery of custom Lego creations on display, I also sell custom creations of my Lego Art to paying customers. Over the years I have been very fortunate to have created numerous portraits and sculptures for people all over the country.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
This will sound cliched and probably archaic but I treat everyone who steps into my shop as family. As a result I feel fortunate to say that I have become adoptive members of so many other families who visit my shop year after year. I have seen children grow up, I have even been a part of someone’s wedding, I have been asked to write letters of recommendation, I have made art for customers, I have received so many positive reviews of praise on the web and in person; but most importantly treating my customers as family as given me a sense of fulfillment. Even on a bad day which do happen to everyone, I still feel happy because I have my shop and all of the wonderful people who take the time to visit it again & again.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.snoconesbychris.com
- Instagram: @snoconesbychris
- Facebook: @snoconesbychris
