Hidden Gem: A&L Water & Ice Cream

5-Gallon Jugs

I started buying 5-Gallon bottles of water back when we lived in Orange County, after getting tired of spending so much money on bottles of Alkaline water from Trader Joe’s. I had driven by the “Water Store” for years, curious about what was meant by “selling water.” It wasn’t until it hit me in the pocketbook, that I decided to investigate.

Way More Cost Effective

I found it much more cost effective - to tune the tune of saving over a hundred dollars a month! - to buy several 5-Gallon Bottles and refill them as often as necessary (for me it’s 1-2x a month) rather than buying cases of water weekly.

I also purchased a water dispenser (with the bottle hidden like this one). I like that it has hot and room temperature water on demand. It also has a feature for chilled water but I find the motor for that too loud and disruptive so I keep it turned off.

Finding Water in the Desert

When we moved here to Arizona, finding a water store was a huge dilemma. I can remember getting really upset about it one day, after driving in circles for what seemed like hours. I missed my water store in OC. At the time, compared to where I am from and familiar with, everything here seemed so far away and spread out.

I had a hard time finding a shopping routine and an even harder time find my water. I remember driving east, to many different stores in Avondale, Goodyear and Tolleson, aggravated by the distance and traffic, and lines at the store, every time I ventured out.

Discovering A&L Water & Ice Cream

I stumbled upon A&L Water & Ice Cream when we had to visit the Motor Vehicle Department (“MVD”) to obtain our new driver’s licenses and register our cars. I was so happy to find this convenience, so close to home!

Convenient & Friendly

I love how I can park right in front and pop right in to fill my bottles. They have rolling carts which make it easy to get all the filled bottles back to my car at once.

They also have a lovely ice cream counter with shave ice and Thrifty Ice Cream (a sweet reminder of getting treats with my grandma Betty when I was growing up).

The Story Behind A&L

I was able to speak with Laura (the “L” in A&L), who owns and operates the business with her husband (“A”, who wishes to remain anonymous). They make a great team, with Laura handling the business operations and “A,” handling the tanks, pipes, filters and maintenance of the water equipment.

A New Adventure

They relocated to Arizona from Pennsylvania in January 2017. The knew when they decided to move, that would open their own business here. Laura is from a family of 11 and all of them own/operate stores of one kind or another.

In Pennsylvania, A&L, owned a commercial bakery and made yogurt and sold those products to other establishments, to some even as far away as New York City.

A Leap Into the Unknown

After searching for businesses for sale on bizbuysell.com, they ended up purchasing A&L Water & Ice Cream (an existing business operating under a different name) and opened up shop just 3 short weeks after moving here.

They weren’t sure they were going to stay, so they kept the safety net of their other business back in Pennsylvania, which they later sold once they were sure they’d make the right choice.

A Water Store?

Laura had not heard of “water stores” before moving here (“It must be an Arizona thing”) so she/they had no experience running one prior to opening. I always find this brave and inspiring, the way a born-entrepreneur faces new opportunities head on! She said she wasn’t too worried about it because she had experience running other stores and her husband “A” can fix anything.

Jobs for Local Youth

I am always impressed by the young people that work A&L. I recall being there one day and a customer was giving the young fella at the counter such a hard time about not receiving his water rewards. I was taken aback by how the young man handled the situation - in which the customer was wrong, and I told him so. 😉 I later reported my impression of the young man to Laura - it’s nice to be caught & reported for doing something right!

The evening I went to fill my bottles and snap the pics for this article, there happened to be 3 of them working that night! They were so cooperative in allowing me to take their picture and even suggested that I should take one in front of the (newly installed) neon sign. That picture is at the end.

Now Go Drink Some Water

If you meet my husband, I guarantee you one of the first things he’ll talk to you about is the importance of drinking water. Years ago, at the suggestion of my Auntie Michele, he read a book called “Your Bodies Many Cries for Water.” He immediately gave up his daily soda habit and started drinking only water, his life forever changed.

Develop a Water Habit

So go ahead and start a water habit yourself (and get a scoop or 2 of Thrifty Ice Cream while you’re at it!!!).

Getting There

A&L Water & Ice Cream is located at 1300 S. Watson Road, Suite 111, Buckeye. And be sure to tell them, The Buckeye Buzz sent you! 🐝 

From my ❤️ to yours…