WILMINGTON, N.C. — It’s not every day you meet a teenager with their own business, but one inspiring 15-year-old from New Hanover County has just that. He’s the mind behind Port City Pops, an ice cream truck that services events and festivals. And here’s the scoop — he just wants to make other kids happy.
What You Need To Know
Preston Hardgrove started Port City Pops with his family when he was just 12 with just a cart
Now, he has a true ice cream truck that is available for festivals, parties and other events
You can check out Port City Pops here
Preston Hardgrove started Port City Pops with his family when he was just 12 with just a cart
Now, he has a true ice cream truck that is available for festivals, parties and other events
You can check out Port City Pops here
He might only be 15, but Preston Hardgrove is already an entrepreneur.
“I’ve always been very business-oriented; love working with money, working with other people, doing social media marketing. That’s really what I enjoy doing,” Hardgrove said. “So I started my own ice cream truck.”
At just 12, he started Port City Pops, and in three years it’s become one of Wilmington’s favorite ice cream trucks.
Hardgrove isn’t in it for the money or success. He’s just hoping to spread some happiness — the same happiness he felt when he’d see ice cream trucks come through his neighborhood.
“I’d see that ice cream truck in my neighborhood, I’d actually hear it in Hugh McCrae, and I’d yell,” Hardgrove said. “I’d be like ‘Mom, it’s the ice cream truck!’ And we’d run over to Hugh McCrae Park.”
But running any business comes with its challenges — especially when you’re in high school.
“I’m answering phone calls in school, and I’m sending emails, and I always have to step out of the class to answer the phone call,” Hardgrove said. “But honestly I’m doing what I love, and as long as I’m respectful to others and managing it appropriately I have a great time.”
Hardgrove doesn’t see himself in the ice cream business for the rest of his life, but the skills he’s learning from Port City Pops will follow him forever.
“I’ve also learned how about social media marketing, how to post on Instagram and Facebook, and learning how to manage that, building my own website, handling calls, handling emails,” Hardgrove said.
Wherever the future takes him, he’ll be thankful that Port City Pops helped get him there.
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