GULF SHORES — Mythic Beach Banana Bar is offering a unique frozen dessert close to the beaches of Gulf Shores.

The establishment is run Maggie Hendrix and her family, consisting of her husband, John, and their two daughters, Lily and Halle, with the family also owning Cherry On Top Ice Cream just minutes down the street. According to Hendrix, the idea came when their landlord brought up the idea of putting something at the building occupying 524 W. Beach Blvd. Noting how there are so many options for ice cream in the area, they wanted to offer something nobody else in Gulf Shores is serving.

The inspiration for dipped bananas came after seeing how popular the dessert has been on the West Coast in California. Believing it could work here in Gulf Shores, Hendrix acquired the building and brainstormed ideas for a product line, which resulted in Mythic Beach Banana Bar.

As one may guess, bananas are the pièce de resistance of Mythic Beach. They're all frozen on a stick and dipped in a candy shell, which includes chocolate, white chocolate and blue raspberry options. After picking a dip, they are rolled in an assortment of toppings and drizzles, including various candies, cookies crumbs and marshmallow and caramel drizzles.

For those who aren't sure what they want on their banana, there is also a menu of recipes. Hendrix said her favorite is the "Gold Digger," which is a banana dipped in white chocolate and rolled in a Crunch coat, which is a peanut-flavored coat similar to the Crunch candy bar, before being topped with peanuts, sprinkles and a marshmallow drizzle. Along with bananas desserts, there is also cheesecake and several flavors of ice cream.

Being just across the beach and close to hotels and other local businesses such as LA Pizzeria and Bahama Bob's, Hendrix said she thinks Mythic Beach has a lot of potential, saying they have been blown away by the local reception so far. They sold out the other day.

"We appreciate so much the warm reception that we've had from the community [from] all of our guests, obviously beach guests, but then the locals as well have come out and really shown a lot of support, so we're very thankful," Hendrix said. "We feel very blessed, and we just appreciate everyone coming in and checking us out."

Mythic Beach Banana Bar is open Monday through Saturday from 2 to 10 p.m., but Hendrix said the hours are subject to change. As long as people are coming after 10 p.m. and they still have product to sell, she said they won't be shutting the door.