Dolphin Coley, left, hands Tomas Vallejo an ice cream cone. Photo by Dan Whisehunt

Dolphin Coley moved to Atlanta because he wanted a better way of life for his kids.

He relocated from New Jersey, where he ran a dessert business, much like the one he recently opened in Kirkwood.

Dolphin’s Water Ice Factory opened this month in Kirkwood Station.The store is open seven days a week, Monday through Sunday, from 12 pm to 9 pm. To see the company’s Facebook page, click here.

It offers 20 flavors of Philadelphia-style Italian Ice, known as “water ice,”  24 flavors of soft serve ice cream and pretzels. Customers can buy banana splits, milkshakes and ice cream sundaes.

The pace of life down here is pretty sweet too, Coley said.

“The mentality is different,” he said. “The Southern hospitality exists.”

He said he was glad to move to a part of the world where people smile when they talk to you.

Coley said he came in on the tail end of the yogurt fad, and said that he thinks people are starting to develop an appetite for traditional ice cream again.

He decided to open his business in Kirkwood on the recommendation of a Realtor.

“We wanted to be in a family oriented community, because I’m a family man myself,” Coley said.

A cooler full of Italian Ice at Dolphin’s Water Ice Factory. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt

Correction: An earlier version of this article misidentified the location of this establishment. It is located in Kirkwood Station.