When Eddie GreenLeaf decided to go into the ice cream business with his high school buddy, Bryan Bloomensaat, the two came up with a name that paid homage to their daughters.

“He has a daughter named Izabel, and I have a daughter named Annabelle,” said GreenLeaf of Chelsea. “So between the two we came up with the spelling Bell’s Ice Cream Bike.”

The ice cream bike is new this summer to Chelsea. GreenLeaf and Bloomensaat hired two college students to ride the bike through the residential areas around town, and the bike is parked at Sounds & Sights on Thursday Nights, a summer music concert that takes place in downtown Chelsea.

They sell All-American Bombs (nine-inch rocket pops), Shrek bars, giant ice cream sandwiches and snow cones. They don’t sell hand-dipped ice cream cones, but the bike, which features a rainbow-covered umbrella, plays eight tunes, from the Entertainer to the Pink Panther. The bike is a tricycle-style with two wheels in front and a rear wheel in back.

A placard displays the menu, which features six different items as well as Gatorade and water. Dry ice and Brumble packs - a metal-covered gel that freezes—keep the ice cream cold during the 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. service time in residential areas.

“It’s an old-fashioned idea with today’s technology,” said GreenLeaf, who remembers when he and Bloomensaat were young, running out of their front doors to stop the ice cream truck.

“It’s been five years since they ran one through town, but the bike puts a new twist on it. It’s very popular,” said GreenLeaf, who said that he doesn’t have as much overhead with a bike compared with an ice cream truck.

“It is very economical. It uses (no) gas, so it’s environmental, and while we do have liability insurance, we don’t have auto insurance. Plus from a parent’s perspective it’s a little safer on the sidewalk - more safe than stepping up to a truck,” said GreenLeaf.

GreenLeaf, who owns Chelsea Lanes and First Class Auto Detailing of Chelsea, said this is the first business that he has operated with Bloomensaat.

“Some day, maybe our two girls will work together (on this business),” he said. “I’ve been excited about the early success.”

He said he plans to donate 10 percent of next month’s proceeds to the Relay for Life, and will hand out free games of bowling later in the summer with every purchase.

Alana West is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. To reach the news desk, call 734-623-2530.