Meeks Treats in Frankford offers banana pudding and homework help.
Malikah Crosby made banana pudding several years ago for a church group.
It was her first time making the sweet treat, and members of the group went “wild” and demanded more, she said.
“I was like, you know what, I think I could make this a business,” Crosby said.
In May, she opened Meeks Treats, 1633 Orthodox St. in Frankford. Crosby doesn’t know if her shop is the first in the city that specializes in banana pudding, but she said her variety can’t be beat.
“Nobody’s topping 13 different flavors,” Crosby said. “I’m like Baskin-Robbins for banana pudding.”
In addition to 13 flavors of banana pudding, the store sells cookies, sweet potato pies, juices, milkshakes, flavored soft pretzels and seafood salad — which is actually one of the shop’s best-selling items.
Now, Crosby is also in the process of kickstarting a free homework help program at the shop for kids in the neighborhood.
The idea is to give students a safe place to do their homework with the help of Crosby and store manager Kenya Forrest. Kids also get a free snack and juice and the opportunity to play games like Jenga if they finish their work early.
“They come in, and we help them with their homework,” said Crosby, who grew up in Frankford and now lives in Cheltenham. “Because a lot of times, in our community, they’re not really sitting down with their parents, so we try to give them that homey feeling.”
The pudding shop is right down the street from Arrott Transportation Center. During neighborhood meetings, residents have complained about drug dealing near the station, and a pair of shootings recently occurred in the area.
“This definitely keeps them out of trouble,” Crosby said of the homework help program.
Meeks Treats started the program about three weeks ago and offers it from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The pudding shop is Crosby’s first business. She said she left a good job as an assistant project manager at a construction company to get the shop up and running. There’s been hiccups — the store was shut down for two weeks by code inspectors — but the shop is also gaining customers and fans.
Vanetta Young, of Frankford, praised the seafood salad and said her favorite flavor of banana pudding is strawberry.
“When I eat (the pudding), it just tastes so good,” she said.
Meeks Treats also has a sizable online presence. The shop’s Instagram page has almost 14,000 followers.
The property at the corner of Orthodox and Paul streets is owned by state Rep. Jason Dawkins, and for years Dawkins’ grandfather ran a construction business there. Neighbors voted at the Oct. 12 Frankford Neighborhood Advisory Committee to support a use variance for the shop.
Meeks Treats is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays, and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. It is closed on Mondays. ••
Jack Tomczuk can be reached at [email protected]
