Daily Grind opens ice cream counter
By Hannah Hager
When he was a little boy, Ricky Shickle's grandmother took him to the ice cream parlor for a tasty treat.“It's a special trip you can make just for the kids to go get ice cream,” Shickle said.
Wanting to revive his family's ice cream tradition in Berryville, the Daily Grind manager brought back the hand-dipped treat to the store.
With a grand opening on April 25, Shickle said the introduction of the multiple colorful confections was a success.
“We sold a lot more than I thought we would,” he said. "It's a quick hit."
Shickle said good quality ice cream should be a part of the historic downtown Berryville area. The Daily Grind is located at 7 W. Main St.
One day, a local grandmother brought her granddaughter in for ice cream and Shickle was excited to see people enjoying his old pastime. Marsha Kelly of Berryville scooped up an order of chocolate chip mint in a bowl.
“We come here for coffee and all the other things,” said Kelly, who added that she prefers the Garber's brand because it is an old-fashioned tradition.
“I've had Garber's for years,” she said. "Back in Illinois, there was a grocery store in my home town that sold Garber's.”
Shickle chose to sell Garber's because they tie in with the Daily Grind's business model.
“They tie in with who I want to be and represent,” he said, referring to the company's old-fashioned style for everything down to the text they use on their business signs.
The Daily Grind was meant to feel like an old post office or newsstand. Shickle hopes that the subtle changes he and the owners have been making, such as carry-out, pre-packaged sandwiches, will help keep alive that atmosphere.
He doesn't foresee any competition with the Tastee-Freez off Buckmarsh Street, which offers soft-serve ice cream.
“Nothing beats hand-dipped,” said co-owner Stan Crockett. “It's just not the same.”
Sorry dieters, there's no plan -- as of now -- to offer low calorie, non-fat or low-carb ice cream.
“I think if you want ice cream, go for the good stuff,” Crockett said. “If you're going to be bad, be bad.”
Crockett has a vision for his store in the future. "[I want it] to be a gathering place especially for kids,” he said.
The Daily Grind offers chocolate chip mint, black raspberry, PBF delight, butter pecan, cookies and cream, vanilla, chocolate and birthday cake flavors in one to three scoops with a choice of cake or sugar cone.
Prices range from $1.19 for a single scoop to $3.59 for a triple scoop.
Contact the reporter at hhager@timespapers.com.