It’s your buck. If you like the swill at Starbucks, the bag ‘o crap at Mickey-D’s, or any of the other corporate sameness plaguing our ‘burbs, then by all means—go for it, just stay the hell in Short Pump.

However, when franchise owners who once abandoned the city for strip shopping centers now sheepishly slink back in, River City has a problem. Many cookie cutter retailers are rediscovering and targeting urban destinations where uniqueness once had value.

Along Carytown’s trendy—yet mostly independent—corridor, Bev Mazursky has operated her locally-owned scoop shop, Bev’s Homemade Ice Cream, since 1998. Over the years, Richmonders have bum rushed this tiny shop in search of frozen delights and creative flavors. A family-run joint, Mazursky, who knows most of her customers by name, has taken requests, doled out her greens to local non-profits and has even run a “You Name It, I’ll Make It” contest in which customers were allowed to create their own tasty treats.

In short, Bev does what locals do best, her funky digs embody the spirit of Richmond and she thanks us by tipping her hat back to the community on a regular basis. Local merchants, those with not only their business firmly planted in the metropolitan area but their homes as well, are in a unique position to understand the specific needs of our sleepy little city by the river, and act accordingly.

But here’s where things get ugly. As of last week, Bev’s Homemade Ice Cream has new neighbors occupying the corner of Cary and S. Colonial Streets, an intersection that now resembles countless others throughout the country that have given way to corporate clones.

That’s right, Ben and Jerry’s has taken up residence (again—this is the chain’s second bid for your taste buds) in Carytown, only a matter of feet from Bev’s homespun eatery. The chain ice cream monster once owned by free lovin’ hippies, has started a food fight that we’ll all be watching this fall.

With their crunchy Vermont vibe, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield took a $5 course on ice-cream making in 1978 and launched the first Ben & Jerry’s in a revamped gas station. And from there—Chunky Monkey and Cherry Garcia made stoner history. To make it all work, Cohen and Greenfield made it a point to jive with their community by giving away free scoops on the first anniversary of the store, as well as supporting a growing list of good causes such as their “Green Team” shenanigans. The groovy duo even allowed customers a crack at the top honors with the “Yo! I’m Your CEO” contest in 1995. Things changed though at the turn of the century when food giant Unilever purchased Ben and Jerry’s for over $300 million.

Today the $60 billion ice cream industry is controlled by only two—yes two—sugary daddies; Unilever and Switzerland’s Nestlé. Together, these conglomerates control over half of the ice cream sales in the US at the moment, and one-third of the worldwide market. Plus, they’re expanding, and next year’s outlook is expected to be even sunnier for the boys in the boardrooms.

Meanwhile, mom-and-pop shops like Bev’s are melting fast, while the suits miles away fatten their wallets with oversweet industrial, and often hormone-laden, milk. As corporate clones replace unique local merchants some would have us believe it’s all for the better and that chain encroachment is simply a natural trend. In fact, chains are often a welcomed addition by those who point to the prospects of growth and tax revenues.

After all, don’t we want free markets and consumer choice? And doesn’t it simply make more sense to shop where it’s easiest and you can get the most bang for your buck, even if the pimply-faced kids behind the counter wear silly uniforms?

If the opening weekend for Ben and Jerry’s in Carytown is any indication, then for now the answer is—heck no, not if it snuffs out River City’s finest.
That’s right, score one for the hometown heroes, as this past Saturday and Sunday, RVA saw familiarly long lines snaking out of the door at Bev’s, while Ben and Jerry’s, as progressive as they remain, produced only a slow dribble. For now, Richmonders are putting their money where they live, and at least along Cary Street are gobbling up Bev’s, an ice-cream parlor of the old time variety, one that carries locally-made goods, and creates jobs for other local vendors and producers.

By keeping things local at hometown digs, the cash Richmonders dole out for a scoop is delivering twice the economic impact than it does when we mindlessly fork it over to national chains. Let’s just hope River City can maintain its taste for local character and not forget its survival depends on our patronage.

Excellent story! I much perfer the feel of down home country than the cold taste of big business.

The B&Js;in Carytown may be a locally owned franchise, but they are globally marketed by multinational corporations. Their brand is not Richmond. I would rather see a “Mark’s Scoops” competing with Bev, another local who is trying to build a hometown brand. I want a Richmond that can support itself without the crutches.

KEEP RICHMOND WEIRD!!!!!!!

I can’t believe you are allowed to be published.  I happen to love Ben & Jerry’s totally unique and wonderful flavors!!  Not only that, but what an improvement to the carytown district.  That nasty pink rundown eyesore of a laundromat has been replaced with a new refreshing look.  It used to be a scary kind of corner to walk past at night. It was always dark, and had an element hanging around you didn’t always want to be near.  Now it seems the lights have all been repaired, the property has been repainted and is bright and clean inside.  There also seems to be lots of people sitting in chairs around tables and under umbrellas enjoying themselves, not to metion terrific ice cream.  For a reporter to be so negative about a new business, much less one who has helped to really improve our carytown, is an insult to all who read your mindless bag-o-crap!  Oh by the way...I happen to have had an ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s last saturday night, which by the way was very busy.  In talking with the man who happily scooped my cone and was so friendly (and even thanked me), I found out he was the LOCAL franchise owner!  I was really surprised as even I thought it was just corporate america showing up in carytown.  I’m even more glad now than I was before to know that I will indeed be supporting local people who are just trying to run a business.  So Paul Spicer, it appears you have made many inaccurate comments which you probably could have found out yourself if you had spent all of 5 minutes like any legitimate reporter does, trying to learn something about the subject they are writing on.  So go ahead call me a jerk for not taking your side....but I’m only a jerk when I run accross people like you.  You unfortunately, have to be one the rest of your life.

Thanks for this article: Carytown is unique because of the care and passion of small shop and restaurant owners who invest their all into their businesses and who patronize their neighboring stores, keeping the money local. Let the chains stay out in the ‘burbs: small town USA is alive and well in Carytown, Richmond!