A new drink spot has arrived on the Shoreline in Guilford, bringing a new twist on soda popular amongst teenagers, in a space designed for the community. In just a matter of weeks, this idea became a storefront.

Located on 1200 Boston Post Road in a former Dunkin’ Donuts, Fizzlies brings the growing ‘dirty soda’ trend to Guilford, with customized drinks made with syrups, creamers, and toppings like popping boba and candy.

After deciding in August of 2025 to leave her job as a surgical technician at Yale New Haven Hospital, Marla Rubino, a Guilford Citizen signed a lease by September, opening Fizzlies in November 2025. Rubino said the idea for her shop came from her previous experience running an Italian ice cart at carnivals and festivals.

After experimenting with adding Italian ice to soda last summer, she noticed how quickly the idea could grow. “Everybody loved it, and people asked where to get it, and you don’t anywhere,” she explained. This inspired her to open a shop of her own, not just focused on drinks, but also on community.

Marla Rubino began this business to see the smiles on faces and for people to enjoy a nice cold treat. “It’s just super fun. Everybody is in a good mood,” Rubino said. Rubino wanted to have a fun, exciting spot on the shoreline for families and kids to get together and enjoy a ‘Dirty Soda’.

“It’s such a small community, so I wanted some place for kids and families,” Rubino said. Inside the shop, there are plenty of board games and fun decorations that make Fizzlies a fun place for kids and families. The shop name, Fizzlies, is a spin-off of the Guilford High School Grizzlies mascot, directly tying the business to the community.

Along with the dirty sodas, the menu includes Italian sodas, energy drinks, and other unique foods like ‘croffles,’ croissant dough pressed into a waffle maker, topped with unique frostings and toppings. Some of their most popular drinks are the ‘Tidal Wave’ and the ‘Rizzly Bear’.

Unlike chain drink spots like Starbucks or Seven Brew, Fizzlies is an independently owned small business, something Rubino appreciates since it allows her to be creative and connect more with the customers. And since opening, the response and support from the community have been overwhelmingly positive.

“They’ve been great, people come in because they want to support new things,” Rubino said. This new creative concept is quickly growing, and Fizzlies is becoming a new go-to spot for people living on the shoreline.

Rubino mentions how, during Christmas, she brought different activities, vendors, and Santa, which would cause families to gain interest and for their kids to drag them inside to try a fun street and meet Santa. This caused people to want to view what this new place is and to try new drinks and foods they’ve never experienced. Again just describing how she “jus wanted to do something a little different for the community.”