Molly Newman, a registered nurse who has worked for 15 years in the profession since graduating from Rhode Island College, knows how to make people smile: ice cream.

These days Molly can be found not only in the Kent Hospital surgery room but also scooping Little Blue Panda. It’s very blue and very sweet. Locals discovered the flavor soon after Molly and her fiancé, Joe Trillo, opened Apponaug Village Creamery on Music Lane across from the Walgreen’s on a rainy Saturday, April 12. As of last Wednesday they had already gone through two tubs of Little Blue.

To Molly’s delight, a group of kids on their bikes arrived at the creamery last week and left their bikes outside to indulge in ice cream. The fact the kids were outside, on their bikes and away from their cellphones was a picture she didn’t imagine seeing. It was like time was reversed.

“This is not the world we live in anymore,” she said.

Some of Molly’s fondest memories are of growing up in Governor Francis Farms and walking with friends over to Newport Creamery where, of course, they had ice cream.

She finds older customers love her old fashion root beer floats for the youthful days they evoke and for introducing the floats to their children and grandchildren.

She’s also found that the creamery provides a happy and needed break for hospital co-workers.  She’s had a visit from nearby Station One firefighters.      

The creamery has a serendipitous beginning. Molly, who says she learned everything she knows about the restaurant business from Chelo’s, where she worked various jobs, realized she wanted more than helping people with her nursing skills. She was looking for something that would give back to the community and bring joy into people’s lives.

Part of it was the fatigue of the pandemic. Molly was at Kent some of that time, and then in a break from Warwick she became a traveling nurse. It took her to Florida for two years. She enjoyed the experience and the money and when she returned she realized something was missing and she needed to branch out.

Joe Trillo, grandson of the fiery Warwick Republican representative from Cowesett by the same name now living in Florida, is the third generation to run the family alarm business.  Joe also dabbles in real estate and is on the watch for opportunities. Last fall, Mary Cantanese, owner of the Music Lane property that has a history as a deli/sandwich shop and café called to have the building alarm repaired. He met Cantanese and learned she was thinking of selling.

With an interest in the revival of Apponaug and seeing what has happened and will happen with the outdoor skating rink, he figured the building was a good investment.

“I love Apponaug,” said Joe.   

Maybe this was the door to what Molly was searching for.

He called her and she joined him. As they looked around, Molly kept seeing all the possibilities. The outdoor patio would be perfect on summer days and evenings. The store is away from a heavily traveled road, yet not far from many crossroads. Thinking of kids and parents, she concluded this is a safe place.

Then there were other considerations, including a remake of the place, which really was already set up as a restaurant. Purple became the preferred color. It highlights the creamery logo of a colorfully dressed waitress handing off a large double scoop cone. The walls are purple and tables are accompanied by purple chairs. A shiny bank of freezers with a clear view of tubs brimming with ice cream can leave customers wondering if there’s a flavor that hasn’t been thought of. Molly has hired two Pilgrim students to help run things.

Joe and Molly planned to buy local, but after being stood up for a scheduled meeting with a Rhode Island company, they wanted dependability. They turned to Hershey’s as their provider.

The creamery also sells cookies and brownies, and when it comes to toppings there’s a wide selection and a single 95-cent charge regardless of how many are chosen.

“We aren’t going to nickel and dime,” Molly said.

The creamery is open Monday through Thursday from 2 to 8 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.