By Chanda Temple | birminghamal.gov
For three months in 2025, Walter Baldwin sat in his car on Second Avenue North and people watched.
As a flurry of folks entered and exited nearby restaurants on Friday nights, Walter noticed something missing: a place to buy cold treats. Since he already had a background in selling shaved ice and ice cream via his Dream Flavors mobile business, he thought that opening a brick-and-mortar ice cream shop would be a good fit.
In October 2025, he contacted the landlord about the vacant space at 2014 2nd Ave. North, which is across from Helen restaurant and a few doors down from Johin’na restaurant. He closed the deal in November 2025 and started major renovations. On April 18, 2026, he and his wife, LaShunda Baldwin, hosted a grand opening to a crowd of about 600.
“I know the mobile (business) is less overhead,’’ Walter said. “But I wanted a place where people can just come down, order, sit outside and enjoy the ice cream. It was time.’’
Today, Dream Flavors has 21 flavors of homemade ice cream on any given day, homemade sorbet, milkshakes, gelato, shaved ice, soft serve ice cream and ice cream flights, where customers can order a variety of flavors for tasting. Dairy-free options, gluten-free ice cream and vegan-free soft serve are available on certain days. Their freezer is full of grab-and-go items such as lemon blueberry cheesecake from Italy; cartons of their popular ice cream flavors; and beverages. Across the room is a shelf stocked with chocolates and cookies from Pelham chocolatier Elizabeth Moore. (They use her products in some of their toppings.)
New additions such as Walter’s homemade pecan pie ice cream, peach pie ice cream and sweet potato pie ice cream are also popular. (Walter makes the mini sweet potato pies and peach pies before mixing them into his homemade ice cream.) Other in-demand flavors include Mee Maw’s ice cream, which tastes like old-fashioned yellow cake with chocolate icing; Biscoff cheesecake ice cream, which has Biscoff cheesecake mixed into the ice cream and accented with bits of Biscoff cookies; Banana Pudding ice cream; Butter Toasted Pecan ice cream; Brownie Batter Chunk, which contains chopped up brownies; Chocolatey Chocolate made with Godiva chocolate; and Almond Brittle ice cream, which has almond brittle and caramel flavors topped with almond brittle and a caramel drizzle.
“Their ice cream reminds me of my childhood,’’ Catherine Perry, 51, of Gardendale, said, pointing to the variety of flavors and colors. “So, Dream Flavors is right. That’s the perfect name for this spot.’’
A Good Move
Walter started his shaved ice business in 2018 under the name Summer Snow. In 2022, he added ice cream, serving a national vendor’s brand. In 2024, the couple changed the business’ name to Dream Flavors and decided to learn how to make their own ice cream. Walter and LaShunda traveled across the country, visiting chefs to learn their techniques and collect recipes. At the time, LaShunda wondered if making their own ice cream would work because neither of them had the experience.
“I thought he was crazy to want to go to multiple states to learn from chefs, whom he did not know,’’ LaShunda said. “But it was a good move. We learned a lot.’’
Customers think so, too. In a July 11 Yelp review, a visitor wrote: “OK Birmingham, this is a worthy new ice cream place. Locally owned, PERFECT. Great service, PERFECT. GREAT ICE CREAM, more than perfect.’’
And even though they are open Tuesday-Sunday, people still try to visit on Mondays. “Sorry, we are closed,’’ LaShunda had to tell a passerby on Monday, July 20 as she cleaned up after hosting a corporate event. “We typically get 30 people to pull on this door, and the lights are out.’’
“We are thinking about opening on Mondays. We are trying to feel it out.’’
A Scoop of Belief
Inside Dream Flavors, songs by Rihanna and New Edition fill the space, which is awash in bright hues of yellow, turquoise and hot pink. Outside, a string of lights stretches, high above blue tables and chairs on the sidewalk. One interior wall features the company’s logo. Another wall features the painted words: “Every dream begins with a scoop of belief.’’
“The quote was my wife’s idea, and I think she wanted to send the message that if you can dream it, we can scoop it,’’ Walter said. “That’s one of our slogans. It’s pretty cool.’’
What’s also cool is how the two met. In 2018, Walter owned a barbershop in Roebuck, and LaShunda’s aunt was one of his customers. LaShunda had just had brain surgery, and her aunt and uncle were caring for her. Walter pitched in to help the aunt and uncle nurse LaShunda back to health. Love blossomed for LaShunda and Walter. Walter closed his 20-year-old barbershop in 2019 to run his shaved ice business full time. They married in May 2020.
The couple, both 47, have deep ties to Birmingham. Walter graduated from Ensley High School and LaShunda graduated from Phillips High School, both in 1997. They are working to keep their dream for Dream Flavors going strong through their mobile services, catering and downtown shop. Recently, they were named Business Rate’s #1 Award Winner for June 2026.
“We feed off each other,’’ LaShunda said of Walter. “He is much more the entrepreneur. I’m more corporate, level-headed. So, I feel like we bring a balance to each other.’’
Dream Flavors is open Tuesday-Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.thedreamflavors.com.
