The Death of the Corner Ice Cream Parlor

Where did they all go?

At one time (certainly prior to my own personal recollection), small neighborhood ice cream shops were everywhere.  They were a local hangout — a place for people of all ages to gather for some creamy homemade goodness.  These days, small mom-and-pop-owned ice cream parlors are a rareity.  If you were locate your house on Google maps, then do a quick search of the surrounding area for “ice cream,” the list you would end up reading might have you sounding like a broken record: “Dairy Queen, Dairy Queen, Dairy Queen, Cold Stone, Dairy Queen…”

Sure, the chains are great.  I was definitely excited when Cold Stone came to the Twin Cities, and there’s rarely a day when you couldn’t successfully offer me a DQ Blizzard.  And while we don’t have any Baskin Robbins and hardly any Ben & Jerry’s around here, I sure wouldn’t mind it if we did.

Yet there’s something special about the small, independently-owned store, decorated with second-hand soda fountain tables and ’50’s nostalgia wall hangings.  The same guy is always behind the counter when you come in, and while there may not be as many varieties or menu options, the ice cream always tastes better, and the service is always friendlier.

I had the tremendous good fortune the other day of accidentally running across just such an ice cream parlor after bowling with some friends.  Ice cream sounded good, and a quick iPhone Google search of the nearby environs yielded results similar to the aformentioned broken record — with one exception.  “Grandpa’s Ice Cream.”  Intrigued, we all decided to check it out.

It was spectacular.

Wonderful homemade flavors, including some exotic ones like ginger, pink grapefruit sorbet, and toasted coconut, with familiar favorites and standbys like Butterfinger, rocky road, and brownie sundae.  This locally-owned establishment is open seasonally and has been there since 2005.  Some of the ice cream flavors are named after the owners’ grandchildren, and the kids’ handdrawn art decorates the walls.  The shop has won several awards and was included on Metromix’s list of the top ten desserts in the Twin Cities for their black licorice ice cream.  Grandpa’s website lists all their product offerings and even talks about why their ice cream is so good.

All in all, it was worth a visit to Fridley, and I’ll definitely be back.  I hadn’t seen a hometown-style ice cream shop like this one since Mike’s in Nashville (check them out on Metromix) — another great place to try if you ever go through that part of the country.

Ultimately, while the chains do a decent job in a pinch, they’ve also unfortunately squeezed out some places with better products and more heart.  However, some are still hanging on and perhaps even making a resurgence as many Americans begin to look for more authenticity, not just in their lives, but in their ice cream, too.  It also shows that it’s worth it to get off the beaten path once in a while, look for things you didn’t know were there, and be a little adventurous.

You might just discover a new favorite in a hidden treasure.

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