Meet Kristin Bouvier | Owner & General Manager of Hey Mikey’s Ice Cream

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristin Bouvier and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristin, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
My father-in-law started this business over 10 years now. He had just retired from a construction job and was looking to find a new hobby that brought him and others joy. He started experimenting with ice cream in their garage, then really got serious and went to an ice cream university where he learned from experts. When they moved to Galveston, they decided to open their first store front. In 2020, my husband and I became the new owners of Hey Mikey’s Ice Cream when his parents decided to officially retire. I have a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and had been a teacher for 3 years when I made the shift to working full time for Hey Mikey’s. This was definitely one of those things I could have never seen coming my way but has opened a door of creativity and passion that I love.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Hey Mikey’s Ice Cream is a true family owned and operated business. We have a location on Post Office Street in Galveston, TX and a location and factory on 6th Street in Texas City. TX. My husband, Rob, and his father spent about 10 plus years creating flavors and testing them out. All of our ice cream is homemade in our factory located in Texas City and we have flavors rotating in and out of our stores daily (about 500 flavors!).

We took over Hey Mikey’s in 2020 when my husbands parents retired in January. Little did we know our very first year of running this company we would also be facing a pandemic. I had zero experience in business or much less in ice cream but in March I knew I was supposed to leave my teaching position to come alongside my husband at Hey Mikey’s. We had a numerous amount of challenges such as lack of experience, business being shut down completely, making no income, Covid-19 rules and regulations, and being newly married trying to figure out how to work together. We have found our own lanes within the business that we are most gifted in and have worked very hard together to overcome.

We are not perfect, our business is not perfect, but we work so hard everyday to bless our community, employees and the thousands of tourists we come across. Our main mission behind our homemade, tasty ice cream is that you’d experience joy and make special memories as you enjoy our product. We truly want to bless you!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Galveston has so many amazing local spots to explore. I would recommend breakfast tacos at either Bronco Burrito or Bambu, breakfast/brunch at Leeland, Maceos, ShyKatz or Sunflower Cafe, lunch at Mom’s Farm to Table, Leeland, Garden Tai, or Sugar & Rye, dinner at Salsas, The Grotto, Vargas or Yamato! My favorite smoothie is Lolo Kai and a few great coffee/tea places would be MODs, Freckleberry or Sugar Bean to enjoy the outdoors and shops! Some of my favorite places to hang out at would be Hotel Lucine (the rooftop), Evia, Galveston Island Brewery, and DTO for yummy drinks!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I first want to thank God for always leading and guiding me to bigger purpose beyond myself. I could have never got to where I am today without Him. I went from being a classroom elementary school teacher to quickly jumping into owning a business I knew nothing about, but the Lord has equipped me for the task and has walked with us through the process. I also want to give a BIG shoutout to my husband, Rob, and all the encouragement, love and support he gives me day in and day out. It is not always easy working alongside your spouse, but we have grown so much and it is a blessing to be in the trenches with you.

Website: heymikeysicecream.com

Instagram: heymikeysicecream

Facebook: heymikeysicecream

Image Credits
Kristen Cook Collective