MarkosTreat

MarkosTreat

Marko Petkovic always knew he wanted to be a businessman. Stemming from his days selling mixtapes in elementary school, the 28-year-old Long Beach resident said he’s always been into selling items.

As he roams around Long Beach on his tricycle, Marko is beloved by people of all ages, selling something most anyone can love: ice cream.

But Petkovic, of Marko’s Treats founded in March of 2012, isn’t just your run-of-the-mill ice cream man. He’s become somewhat of a city icon, often seen pedaling throughout the streets of Downtown, Retro Row and catering private parties.

After seeing countless trucks and carts come by his old house on 8th Street and Cedar Avenue, Petkovic said he became inspired to become his own version of the ice cream man, which has led him to other opportunities.

“As an ice cream man, I have managed to find work in several different aspects of entertainment with my uniform,” he said. “I have been an actor, DJ, rapper, country singer, hip-hop juggler, web series personality and more. I like to keep my job interesting. If somebody presents a project to me, I often will try and make it work.”

Markos 02Petkovic, who studied communications at Cal State Long Beach, said he also works the mornings with a Long Beach Unified School District affiliated kids camp, but being Long Beach’s ice cream man is his passion.

Petkovic said his ultimate goal is to open a brick-and-mortar shop.

“I want to create a culture around ice cream like Ben and Jerry,” he said. “Marko’s Treats is a medium of building community and promoting new ideas. I want to expand the horizon of your typical ice cream social and inspire other young entrepreneurs. A lot of people ask ‘When are you going to upgrade to a truck?’ But that has never been my aspiration. I like being outdoors and interacting with people. I feel like I am able to build closer relations with my customers this way.”

Petkovic said Long Beach is the perfect city for this business model because it was named by the Huffington Post last year as the city that eats the most ice cream in the U.S. The city also is bicycle friendly and supports a strong green movement, he said.

While ice cream is normally thought of to be favored by children, everyone likes ice cream, Petkovic said. That’s why he’s used his ice cream man persona to create his own cocktail line while he’s DJing events.

Petkovic said some of his favorite memories of being an ice cream man was when he met a vintage bicycle club called Cyclone Coasters.

“I felt like I was part of a family almost immediately after showing up,” he said. “On my first ride we road to the lighthouse in Shoreline Park. The spiral hill up to the lighthouse was intimidating with my heavy tricycle cart, but when my struggle was recognized by the group, about 200 people started cheering me on. I managed to make it to the top without pushing, and their applause made me feel as if I had scored a goal in the World Cup. It has been a tradition ever since.”

To follow Petkovic and find out the next time you can savor in one of his tasty treats, visit www.facebook.com/MarkosTreats.