As far back as her toddler years, Mylea Biggiani grew up within and alongside a Lehigh Valley ice cream shop that has operated for nearly four decades.
Now as its new owner, she’s ready to serve great ice cream and show why the shop is important to her — and the community.
Replacing Patricia Rice, Biggiani became the owner of Emily’s Ice Cream at 100 S. Main St. in Nazareth on Dec. 19, just a couple of months after the business went up for sale. She operates under a three-year lease for the property, which she said Jay and Rebecca Orwig own.
Emily’s offers around two dozen flavors for ice cream and ice cream cakes, including bisque (using almond cookies), cherry vanilla, butter pecan and mint chocolate chip. She said she also intends to offer trending flavors and products.
Emily’s opened in 1987 at 848 Nazareth Pike in Lower Nazareth Township, just about a year before Biggiani was born.
Having grown up in Nazareth and graduated from Nazareth High School, she said, “Emily’s has been a large part of the community and kids growing up there. All my friends got their birthday cakes from Emily’s their whole lives. I have a pictures of me, I plan on hanging one in the store, eating Emily’s when I was like 2 on my back porch.”
Working under Rice at Emily’s in high school and college, Biggiani left the Lehigh Valley to primarily work in social services, and had been gone from the region for about 20 years until she returned in August to be closer to family.
She now lives in Allentown, and is thankful to Rice for the opportunity to become the new owner.
“I grew up friends with her son and so I had a great relationship with her for a while as my friend’s mother but then also my employer, and so it was really quite … serendipitous that within three or two months of me moving home, I see it’s for sale,” Biggiani said. “Because I had always wanted to purchase it and had expressed to her that I was very interested if she ever was ready to sell.”
Her goal as the owner is to highlight how “wonderful of a staple” that Emily’s has been, which includes creating a new logo based on the original sign from 1987 and wanting to decorate the store with old antiques and photos such as of the Nazareth Speedway or Martin Guitar.
It can be difficult for people to find places from 20 years ago still standing at home, Biggiani said, and so she wants to evoke nostalgia for customers.
When asked about her passion for Emily’s and why it’s important to her, Biggiani added that things like “where we have our first jobs, where we spend time with our family, where our family regularly gets all of the cakes for the kids on their birthdays — those pieces are important. And those are the fun, nice things in life that bring us together and form our memories of our time here on this rock. And I personally have a wonderful affection for Emily’s, but I know that a lot of people do, and I think that that’s something so important to preserve.”
The ice cream shop operates noon to 8 p.m. all week for the winter; it’s open until 10 p.m. in the summer.
New Emily’s Ice Cream owner Mylea Biggiani, left, and staff members Julia Curran, Sophia Dollak and Autumn Quercia stand Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in the shop in Nazareth. Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, took over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Emily’s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily’s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Emily’s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily’s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
New Emily’s Ice Cream staff member Autumn Quercia holds an ice cream cone Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in the shop in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, took over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
New Emily’s Ice Cream owner Mylea Biggiani, left, and staff members Julia Curran, Sophia Dollak and Autumn Quercia stand Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in the shop in Nazareth. Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, took over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Emily’s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily’s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
New Emily’s Ice Cream owner Mylea Biggiani, left, and staff members Julia Curran, Sophia Dollak and Autumn Quercia stand Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in the shop in Nazareth. Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, took over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
New Emily’s Ice Cream staff member Autumn Quercia holds an ice cream cone Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in the shop in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, took over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Emily’s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily’s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
New Emily’s Ice Cream staff member Autumn Quercia holds an ice cream cone Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in the shop in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, took over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Emily’s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily’s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Emily’s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily’s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Emily’s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily’s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Emily’s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily’s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Emily’s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily’s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Emily’s Ice Cream, on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Nazareth. Mylea Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, has become the new owner of Emily’s Ice Cream, taking over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
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New Emily’s Ice Cream owner Mylea Biggiani, left, and staff members Julia Curran, Sophia Dollak and Autumn Quercia stand Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in the shop in Nazareth. Biggiani, who grew up in Nazareth, took over from Patricia Rice. Emily’s opened in 1987 in Lower Nazareth Township. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
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Lehigh Valley retail and restaurant news in brief
Bilal’s Breakfast & Sandwiches has permanently closed at 46 W. North St. in Bethlehem. It opened in May to replace Darto’s.
Griddle 145 closed Wednesday at 1146 MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township. Staffers will transition to the new restaurant The Broken Record in Lower Macungie Township.
Dunkin’ opened a new kiosk at the Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall Township.
Old Mecca Café announced Tuesday it would close at 527 Northampton St. in Easton “due to circumstances outside of our control.”
The cafe opened in February and shared the property with Atelier Jolie Gallery. Omnaia Abdou, who owns the gallery and co-owns the cafe, couldn’t be reached for comment.
Retail Watch is a weekly column covering retail and restaurant news in the Lehigh Valley. Have a question, tip, or want to see something in the area? Contact retail reporter Graysen Golter at retailwatch@mcall.com.
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