Big Softie, a soft serve ice cream shop, opened in 2019 in the Summerhill neighborhood right next to Little Tart Bakeshop. The founder of both stores, Sarah O’Brien, created Big Softie in remembrance of her love for soft serve in her youth. Since its opening, it has been welcomed by Atlanta locals.
“I go to Big Softie with my sister whenever she is in town,” Midtown senior Zander Grant said. “It is a really fun place to go and has been our favorite ever since it opened.’’
After its successful opening, Big Softie and its partner Little Tart are expanding further into Atlanta. A Big Softie walk-up window opened in late August 2025 near the Eastside Beltline in Old Fourth Ward. Next year, a Little Tart Bakeshop will be opening a location in Candler Park, along with a “mystery concept” that will occupy a nearby storefront.
“I’m really excited to see what they are going to do,” Midtown senior Ocean Feng said. “My friends and I love trying new places. We loved Big Softie when it opened, and I have been to Little Tart a few times too. I am most excited to see the mystery store they are going to put in. I feel like it will be really interesting.”
The new Big Softie location in Old Fourth Ward is expected to open at 405 Angier Ave. N.E. near 3 Parks Wine Shops. Feng believes their space is unique, with 300 square feet and a convenient walk-up window that allows people on the Beltline to order ice cream from the street.
“I love the new addition of the window,” Feng said, “Getting it right off the Beltline sounds really fun, and I would love to go on the Beltline and see something like that.’’
Feng says Big Softie is known for its well decorated locations and exclusive menu.
“They’re so creative with their stores,’’ Feng said. “It is always a really fun experience just to go. The locations are always good, and the inside of the store is clean and well done. My favorite thing is the menu, it’s really different the way they do things.’’
Big Softie offers four basic flavors, with new choices rotating throughout the year, and a wide variety of unconventional toppings for customers to choose from.
‘’We pick something different every time,’’ Grant said, “My sister loves changing toppings, but her favorite is the hardshell they make out of melted chocolate. They offer things that you don’t really see anywhere else, and that is what we love about it.’’
Beyond the beltline, O’Brien’s businesses will continue to expand. O’Brien believes Little Tart’s new location in Candler Park will be similar to its two previous locations in Grant Park and Summerhill. Candler park resident Annie D’Agostino is a routine customer of Big Softie’s previously opened locations.
“Local stores like this are so important for the community,’’ D’Agostino said. “It brings people together, and I love seeing small businesses succeed. [O’Brien] is super creative and it is evident in her businesses, inside and out. I would be happy to see another one of her stores closer to home.’’
The only known information about the new addition is that it includes soft serve, but there will be creative differences from her previous shops.
“I think all of her businesses have been a really big success, and I am sure this one will be no different,’’ Grant said. “The stores always have something special about them and I am excited to see that kind of creativity again. Maybe it will become mine and my sisters new favorite.’’
