Sweet Lydia’s and Rancatore’s Ice Cream Are Popping Up at the Street

(Left) Tiger’s Milk ice cream from Rancatore’s, (right) a gift box of treats by Sweet Lydia’s. Both Boston-area brands will pop up at the Street in Chestnut Hill. / Both photos provided

Sweets seekers will want to head to the Street in Chestnut Hill this spring for a taste of some local treats. Lowell confectioner Sweet Lydia’s debuted a temporary retail shop at the indoor/outdoor retail development this week, and Rancatore’s Ice Cream, founded in Belmont, will start serving its scratch ice cream flavors and frappes beginning mid-June.

The Street debuted its first pop-up shop late last fall, with OMG! Bagels of Waltham. Since then, there have been four other short-term tenants, including Kane’s Donuts, which ended its residency on March 26.

At just over 400 square feet, the storefront gives local businesses, in some cases, an opportunity to try out a brick-and-mortar operation. A company like Kane’s, which has a flagship in Saugus and also a downtown Boston outpost, got a venue to share their products with the Chestnut Hill community.

“The folks that manage the Street are doing a service to the people in the community, by providing kind of like an incubator spot for small business to go in and see if they can succeed in that environment,” says Paul Delios, co-owner and president of Kane’s. “It was very successful for us.”

It also started a relationship between the iconic brand and the growing Chestnut Hill development. “We’re hoping that in the future, we can secure a permanent location at the Street,” Delios says. “We’re always open to testing the market if a particular neighborhood might be a fit for us.”

That’s the point of the pop-up, says Allison Yee, the Street’s general manager. “The Street has always maintained a strong commitment to supporting local businesses and to sourcing the latest trends, but The Pop-Up has allowed us to expand on this commitment tenfold with a unique business structure and flexible use of real estate,” she said in a press release.

Lydia Blanchard first opened Sweet Lydia’s production facility and retail store in Lowell for her handmade marshmallows and creative s’mores adaptations, then expanded into the Boston Public Market last year. For the Mother’s Day season, she’ll be at the Street. Her shop opened there Monday and runs through Sunday, May 15. She’s brought along her gourmet marshmallows, in flavors like champagne or passion fruit, plus “S’morsels,” bite-sized vanilla pillows swirled with cinnamon and a graham crackers, chocolate salted caramels, and festive cards from Crumple + Toss.

Starting June 17, you’ll be able to get a cone of Joe Rancatore’s Frosted Flakes-inspired Tiger Milk ice cream. See below for more flavors to satisfy your sweet tooth. The Belmont-based creamery, which also has locations in Newtonville and Lexington, will offer scoops and frappes there through July 30.

Besides the tasty tenants, the pop-up will also host Papers and Presents from May 20-June 13. Owner Carolyn McCoy is sharing her curated customizable gifts, party supplies, and stationery with Chestnut Hill shoppers, just in time for graduation season. She’ll also park her mobile retail truck at the Street.

The pop-up is among more than 40 storefronts at the Street, including a brand new location of Juice Press, the company’s first outside the Tri-State Area. The pop-up is adjacent to Star Market.

Sweet Lydia’s hours are Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday-Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Rancatore’s will be open from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. Preview their opening menu below.

Ice Cream
Vanilla
Bittersweet Chocolate (made with unsweetened chocolate from Holland)
Calebaut Milk Chocolate (with mild Belgian chocolate)
Coffee
Hydrox Cookie
Chocolate Chip
Orange Fennel
Cocoa Joel (made with three types of chocolate, crushed cookies and chocolate chips)
Dulce de Leche, hot and spicy
Black Raspberry
Tiger Milk
Cookie Dough

Yogurt
Vanilla
Chocolate Mousse
Almond and Chip
Mocha Chip

Sorbet
Mango

The Street, 33 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill, thestreetchestnuthill.com.