By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

Those among us grew up "back in the day" may remember visiting a convenience store or "tuck shop", as Bahamians would say, every day on the way home from school to purchase sweetened ice cups.

After school, these tuck shops would be places where friendships were born, where the latest gossip about teachers and fellow students was swapped. These small stores created a sense of togetherness and became a community tradition.

Josephine Simmons was an owner of one such tuck shop in 1980s. Her store was best known for the multi-coloured, childhood favourite treat known as "cups". To those around her, she became the living embodiment of the adage "it takes a village to raise a child."

In her spare time, Josephine mentored several kids, among them Nicholas Diah, Dinzo Louis and George Wilson. Now all grown up, these three have opened their own shaved ice business and named in her honour - Mama Jo's.

"Josephine Simmons taught us to create and fight for what we want out of life. She continues to remind us that we are creators and we can accomplish anything we set our hearts and minds to," said Mr Wilson.

"When you think of Josephine Simmons, you think of the richness of our community; she's a grandmother to all and the source of our inspiration. Mama Jo's is a company that will revolutionise the socio-cultural path that Mama Jo originally created through her tuck shop."

He explained that due to the ideal location of her residence, right on one of Nassau's busiest streets, Josephine quickly understood the business potential of operating a store for the entire neighbourhood.

"Her cups had different designs, some with three flavours or ice cream flavours with candy at the bottom. She quickly became a hit with all the school children and adults with a sweet tooth. I would race home to beat the other kids, as all her stock sold out daily by 4pm," Mr Wilson recalled.

Mr Diah said over the years he noticed the stampede of kids, teenagers, and even adults, who would line up on a daily basis on Josephine's porch to purchase the inexpensive but delicious cups.

Armed with those sweet childhood memories, and inspired by international media coverage of the resurgence in the popularity of shaved ice treats, he and his two business partners had the idea to start their small company.

"The product is not only visually attractive, but naturally it will be attractive to people residing in areas that experience year-round tropical climates such as our home, the Bahamas. With the platform Mama Jo already created with her tuck shop and cups, our idea was to the create the same joy her customers received with our shaved ice. We believe it is our duty as the new generation to continue to build on the foundations our elders, guardians and role models have already laid for us," he said.

"Therefore, it is very important for us to carry on Mama Jo's love for cups in this new way. Mama Jo has done an excellent job creating a name for herself through her business and we must continue to evolve what she started in an effort to keep her name and legacy around forever."

The new and improved Mama Jo's now offers a variety of flavoured syrups, toppings and add-ons such as fruit, condensed milk, gummy bears and ice-cream. Located on the corner of Deans and Nassau Streets, Mama Jo's also offer pop-up services for parties and other functions.

"Our overall goal is to evolve the business Mama Jo created to levels beyond our expectation, and to continue to portray the good morals, values and service that made her such a prominent figure in the community. We want our business and brand to expand to a point where we can create a certified franchise with several locations," said Mr Diah.