SUMMERDALE, Alabama --- Sharon Hadley is living the American dream.

Since she first started working in the restaurant business as manager of Mr. Pizza on Highway 59 in Robertsdale at the age of 20, she has dreamed of owning her own restaurant.

A graduate of Robertsdale High School, Hadley studied business and accounting at Faulkner State University before landing the job at Mr. Pizza in 1987.

"I knew I didn't want to be an accountant," she said. "I'm a people person and sitting behind a desk all day just didn't appeal to me."

After six years at Mr. Pizza and a brief stint at Sharecroppers restaurant in Robertsdale, Hadley spent 17 years as a manager in the fast food industry, first at Hardee's in Foley for seven years, then 10 years at Burger King in Robertsdale before moving to L.A. BBQ in Summerdale, where she has been for the last six years before her dream of owning her own restaurant was realized in August of last year when she bought Summer Scoops in Summerdale from Stephanie Dorman.

"It's been a lot of sacrifices and a lot of struggles," she said, "but knowing where I am today, I don't think I would have changed anything."

Sacrifices she has shared with her family, including her husband of 21 years, Richard, and two children, Christopher, 14, a freshman at Robertsdale High School, and Tayla Lucas, 17, a junior at RHS.

"He (Richard) has been great," she said. "He's here just about every day doing whatever needs to be done to help out."

Hadley has made a few changes in the nearly six months since she opened, including making the business a year-round venture. When the business was first opened eight years ago by Mayor David Wilson and his wife Faith, it was only open six months out of the year, she said. The previous owner closed for the entire month of December and January.

"Except for the Christmas and New Year's holidays, we have stayed open," she said. "It's been slow because it is not exactly ice cream weather right now, but we're making it."

The business, located at 105 NW First St., across from Pioneer Park in Summerdale, is open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.

The other change is that the business now offers a full lunch menu, selling hamburgers, sandwiches and, yes, pizza.

"We're offering daily lunch specials," she said. "We've basically just tried to listen to what customers have asked for and have tried to add things they said they wanted."

Such as a bologna sandwich, offered daily, and crumbled blue cheese available on hamburgers.

Hadley and Summer Scoops was recently honored as the Town of Summerdale's Business of the Year at the Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce's Annual Banquet held Thursday, Jan. 19 at the Baldwin County Coliseum in Summerdale.

"It was definitely a shock since we've only been open for six months," she said.

While she'd always dreamed of a place of her own, the opportunity to own Summer Scoops was truly prophetic, she said.

"When they first opened eight years ago, I walked in and said, ‘Thanks for building this here for me,' just kidding, not knowing I'd actually be buying it one day," she said. "Whenever Mayor Wilson found out I was buying it, he called me to let me know he remembered what I had said. It's funny how things work out sometimes."

Owning a restaurant was a dream Hadley also shared with her mother, Janice Holmes, longtime owner of Jan's Gifts and Fruit in Robertsdale, and while her mother did not live to see that dream realized, she died last year, she is still there with her.

"She's definitely here," Hadley said. "Her's was the first picture we put up when we moved in."