After two frozen dessert shops tried and failed to operate out of the storefront at 809 Davis St., a new flavored shaved ice shop is hoping the third time’s the charm.

Snow Dragon Shavery will open at 809 Davis St. in the next couple of weeks after the closures of Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt and Red Mango in the same space.

The dessert shop has one other location that opened about six months ago in Chicago. Owner Farhad Meghani said the business is expanding to Evanston, hoping to attract customers from Northwestern’s student population.

Shaved snow is a spinoff of Taiwanese shaved ice. Unlike a snow cone, which is crumbled into chunks, the snow is shaved into ribbons.

Snow Dragon Shavery will offer both fruit and chocolate-flavored shaved snow as well as a variety of different toppings.

“It’s not yogurt or ice cream,” Meghani said. “It has a smoother texture and less milk.”

The international dimension to the dessert shop sets Snow Dragon Shavery apart from previous frozen yogurt businesses in the same storefront, said Paul Zalmezak, an Evanston economic development official.

“This is a new trend and Evanston tends to benefit from its student population, especially its international student population,” Zalmezak said. “Typically things open in Chicago first and in Evanston right after.”

But Snow Dragon’s novelty product debuting in Evanston’s food market does not guarantee success, Zalmezak said.

“It is in a well-trafficked location,” Zalmezak said. “But ice cream is a tough business because it’s seasonal.”

Besides shaved snow, Snow Dragon Shavery will also serve coconut water and frozen yogurt.

“We just want to please the community,” Meghani said.

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