Icy Bean owner Donna Thompson (right) sits with her sister Kim McMillan and Kim’s son, Jamie, and daughter, Amaya. Photo provided
By Christine Davis
Icy Bean Hawaiian Shave Ice & Coffee cafe opened in May at 1200 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, and Gary Fishman, a Delray Beach resident and one of Icy Bean’s first customers, wants people to know about it.
“It wasn’t just the promise of caffeine or the sight of a rainbow-colored shave ice in a flower cup that made me stay. It was her,” he wrote about his first visit to the shop.
“The woman behind Icy Bean is Donna Thompson. You wouldn’t know it at first glance, but Icy Bean — Delray’s delightful new shop blending Hawaiian shave ice with specialty coffee — isn’t just a business. It’s a love letter to someone no longer here.”
That day, Thompson shared with Fishman that her younger sister, Jamie, had died by suicide in August 2023. That sad event was life-changing for Thompson, and in 2024, she and her family decided to move from Long Island, New York, to Pompano Beach.
“Not because it was easy — but because staying put was impossible,” she told Fishman.
By chance, while visiting downtown Delray Beach, Thompson happened upon an available shop space that she felt would be the perfect place to sell Hawaiian shave ice. And so Delray Beach is now home to Icy Bean Hawaiian Shave Ice & Coffee.
As she explained to Fishman, inspired by her sister, she designed her cafe to “promise people a good moment in their day. Even if it’s just five minutes with an iced latte. Even if they walk in heavy, I want them to leave just a little lighter.”
Soon, in honor of her sister, Thompson will place a “Hope Tree” in her shop, where cafe visitors can write messages, names or mantras. Thompson also plans to sell soulful merchandise with proceeds to support mental health organizations and a scholarship fund in her sister’s name.
For Icy Bean’s backstory, Thompson with her family went to Maui for a Thanksgiving vacation in 2010 and fell in love with this Hawaiian specialty dessert. It consists of ice cream on the bottom, layered with syrupy “shave ice” (note: this is true Hawaiian lingo — the ice is not shaved) and topped with a creamy “snow cap” (also a true Hawaiian description).
Visitors to her cafe love her Hawaiian “shave ice” dessert, Thompson said. “We’re close to the beach and it’s a refreshing treat.
“People who have had it in Hawaii get excited,” Thompson said. “They ask me, ‘Is it the real thing? Is it authentic?’
“People from Hawaii have come in and shown me their license. They say, ‘Prove it.’”
Icy Bean’s menu consists of a variety of Hawaiian ices in fruit flavors and specialty fusions, paired with espresso drinks, teas and lattes. Icy Bean also serves snacks, sodas and pastries.
Hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
For more information, visit icybean.com.
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Three adjacent retail buildings in Delray Beach’s Pineapple Grove neighborhood to the north of the Hyatt Place hotel sold for a combined $27.43 million in related transactions.
All three sellers were LLCs managed by Boca Raton-based attorney Daniel A. Kaskel. All three buyers were Delaware-registered companies that listed their address as 455 NE Fifth Ave., Suite D-358, Delray Beach.
In the largest deal, 186 NE Second Ave. was sold for $10.2 million to 186 Pineapple Grove LLC by QCRE VIII LLC in September. The 1,888-square-foot retail building sits on 0.39 acres. It last traded for $3.2 million in 2019.
Recorded in October, 140 NE 2nd Ave. LLC sold the 7,182-square-foot building at 140 NE Second Ave. on 0.35 acres for $9.13 million to 140 Pineapple Grove LLC. It last sold for $6.25 million in 2020.
Also in October, 162 NE 2nd Ave. LLC sold the 8,560-square-foot retail building on 0.31 acres at 162 NE Second Ave. for $8.1 million to 162 Pineapple Grove LLC. It last traded for $3.85 million in 2020. Zoning in Pineapple Grove allows for four-story multifamily buildings or hotels.
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Attorney Henry Rosen and his wife, Vanessa, paid $22 million for a 5,792-square-foot oceanfront home at 3435 N. Ocean Blvd., Gulf Stream.
The seller was Bon Property LLC, managed by Aogan Darra O’Haolain, a financial executive from Ireland. Built on a 0.93-acre site in 1991, the five-bedroom residence is elevated 20 feet above sea level.
It was listed in February 2025 for $25.25 million. The home last traded for $21 million in April 2024. Candace Friis and Phil Friis of the Corcoran Group represented the seller in the deal, while the buyer worked with Sheldon Jaffee of Lang Realty.
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James D. Terlizzi, the founder of Settlement Funding and chairman of DRB Capital, and his wife, Laura, sold their 7,293-square-foot, five-bedroom residence and guesthouse at 8 Driftwood Landing in Gulf Stream for $15.9 million, to Zee El Ocho LLC, managed by Benjamin J. Bavly, CEO of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts-based BlackStar Capital.
Brora 0418 LLC provided a $12.5 million mortgage to the buyer. The property was listed in January for $17.85 million. The Terlizzis bought the 1.12-acre property on a point lot with 445 feet of waterfront in 2007 for $4.3 million and then built a new home designed by Randall Stofft with interiors by Marc-Michaels Interiors. The estate offers two docks, 160 feet and 40 feet, respectively, and a lift. Candace Friis and Phil Friis of the Corcoran Group represented both sides of the deal.
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A new construction British West Indies home with 119 feet on the water at 989 Marble Way, Boca Raton, owned by Lawrence and Ivy Freedman, recently sold to BFL Trust, with K Souders as trustee, for $12.13 million. With five bedrooms and 7,677 square feet, the home was built in 2024 by National Custom Homes and designed by Brenner Architects.
The Matt and Nick Team (Matthew Moser and Nicholas Gonzalez), agents with Serhant Florida Realtor, handled both sides of the sale.
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Robert and Molly Chiaramonte sold their four-bedroom, 5,472-square-foot home at 1007 White Drive, Delray Beach, for $9.9 million.
The new owners are Gerardo and Brittany Castillo.
Completed in 2018 by builder Mouw Associates and designed by Gary Eliopoulos of GE Architecture, this property is just two lots from the Intracoastal Waterway, with water vistas. The property last traded in 2019 for $3.975 million. Nick Malinosky and Michael O’Connor, agents with Douglas Elliman, represented the seller, with Malinosky representing the buyer.
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With Alina Residences Boca Raton nearly 90% sold, El-Ad National Properties has listed residence 601 for $7.816 million.
Spanning 4,910 square feet of interior living space alongside Southeast Mizner Boulevard, it is one of the largest remaining homes at Alina 220 with a corner four-bedroom-plus-den layout and wraparound terrace.
Appointments with Elliman Development Marketing can be scheduled at the sales gallery at sales@alinabocaraton.com.
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Ezra Krieg and Christina Stamper were recently appointed to the Delray Beach Housing Authority’s board of directors. Krieg has held senior positions with organizations including Daily Bread Food Bank, Broward Partnership for the Homeless, Kids In Distress, and Gulfstream Goodwill Industries. He has served as chairman of the Delray Beach Initiative to End Homelessness, program chairperson for the Delray Beach Kiwanis Club, and as a member of several Palm Beach County advisory boards on affordable housing and homelessness. Stamper is currently the assistant director of operations for a family-owned electrical contracting company.
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Florida Atlantic University moved up to No. 100 in the U.S. News & World Report list of “Top Public Schools” for 2026, rising from No. 103 in last year’s ranking of the nation’s best universities. Florida Atlantic also climbed to No. 30 this year from No. 32 last year in the “Social Mobility” category, based on public and private national universities’ rankings computed using graduation rates of first-generation students and those who receive Pell grants.
The university is also listed as No. 25 nationally for Pell Grant Graduation Performance. Additionally, U.S. News & World Report ranked Florida Atlantic at No. 183 for “Top National Schools,” up from No. 189 last year.
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The American Heritage Schools announced that 87 seniors (57 from the Broward County campus and 30 from the Delray Beach campus) from the class of 2026 were named National Merit Scholar semifinalists.
Additionally, 92 more seniors were honored with the distinction of national commended scholar. The Delray Beach campus is the No. 1 school in Palm Beach County and the No. 2 school in Florida in the number of National Merit Scholar semifinalists.
The combined students from both campuses comprise 9% of all semifinalists throughout Florida’s public and private high schools. One in seven students from American Heritage Schools in the Class of 2026 is a National Merit Scholar semifinalist.
“To be a part of the National Merit group is honestly amazing, and I think it’s just a testament to the incredible opportunities, resources and support we have here at American Heritage,” said Daniela Staton, a senior at the Palm Beach County campus and a Delray Beach resident.
American Heritage Schools also announced that 95% of the students passed the Advanced Placement exams with a score of 3 or higher, compared to 69% in Florida and 73% globally. Advanced Placement scores range from 1 to 5.
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Aspiring health care professionals at American Heritage Schools are making a difference.
On Oct. 3, students from both campuses in the schools’ premed program visited the pediatric cancer patients at the Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital at Broward Health Medical Center for its 26th annual Superhero Party. During the party, the children wrote their wish lists for Santa and mailed them to the North Pole, played board games and dressed up as their favorite superheroes.
The premed students will work on raising money to make those wishes come true and celebrate with the children at their holiday party on Dec. 12.
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Pebb Capital, a national real estate and private equity investment firm, announced the completion of Phase One at Sundy Village in Delray Beach. The 7-acre campus at Atlantic and Swinton avenues received a temporary certificate of occupancy, and retail and food-and-beverage leases bring the project to 88% leased.
Joining the early roster of lessees — Vertical Bridge, Barcelona Wine Bar, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, Double Knot and Drinking Pig BBQ — are Industrious, a workspace provider; Maman cafe and bakery; Dragonfly MRI, a wellness imaging center; JTC, a global provider of funds; Fairstead Development, a real estate firm; Lost Coast Collective LLC, an investment management firm; Coastal Investment Co., a private equity real estate firm; and the restaurant Delray Beach Craft Brewing LLC.
Sundy Village’s Phase Two construction progress will continue with a 79,141-square-foot office building at 100 SE First Ave. and a 165-space parking garage at 48 SE First Ave. that will include 3,400 square feet of ground-floor retail. Through a partnership with the city, the garage will be available for public use after 6 p.m. on weekdays and throughout the weekends.
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Fortress Investment Group has sold Sonata Boca Raton and Sonata Vero Beach to a public REIT. The two properties comprise almost 180 independent living, assisted living and managed care units along with on-site amenities.
Fortress acquired the properties in April 2021 from a REIT that was exiting its senior housing assets. Fortress then invested more than $1 million in improvements and made operational enhancements, which drove occupancy across the two properties from 75% to 97%.
JLL Capital Markets represented Fortress in the sale. Agewell Solvere Living will continue to manage both Sonata properties.
Christine Davis writes business news and can be reached at cdavis9797@gmail.com.
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