Now I'm wondering if ice cream enjoys the same economic qualities.
A gelatto store is opening up on Market Square, at the western-most shop, giving the city--by my count--four spots to acquire a quality bit of ice cream. Number one would be Gram's, of course, followed by
I suppose this is the 09 version of the pizza conversation we had last summer when Oregano's and Upper Crust signalled their arrival. Can a town have too many ice cream spots?
I can't help but think the new businesses will eat away at Gram's business just a bit. True, each has a different spin or niche, but at the end of the day they're selling a cool, refreshing treat.
I'm not arguing for or against the additions. If a business owner is willing to commit themselves to opening up a shop selling non-essentials in this economy, I give them credit. But perhaps they know something we don't. Maybe demand for ice will soar if the Dow continues to fall. I'll root for the former and against the latter.
8 comments:
you forgot haley's, and famous pizza. i think bob lobster does ice cream too.
I wrote "of course" because it's my blog. I like Gram's although I've got nothing against the SS folks.
Anon, thanks for the shout out to Haley's, Bob Lobster and Famous.
However, I didn't forget any of them (Haley's is probably my number one IC destination.) I was just discussing the options downtown, as those are likely to draw from the same pool of customers.
Oh, and no, there's some smoothie-oriented business going in there. Next to Ballotin.
smoothies and gellato? the khaki tide continues to rise...
Tom (and other people), have you tried the chocolate/banana frappe at Gram's? I think it's called the chunky monkey or something similar. Kind of expensive but worth every penny. Plus you can claim a daily serving of fruit ... oh yum.
I haven't had a gellato since the last time I was at Vittoria Caffe, in the North End ...
Nope, sounds good. Love the frappes.
I'm a big fan of Gram's, and completely understand why an ice cream parlor would close up from November through March; because it's flippin' freezin' here! Who's lining up for ice cream when it's snowing sideways?
Gram's probably brings in more revenue in a few months than most stores downtown do in a year. They have great ice cream, give local high school and college kids employment opportunities in the summer, and locals love it. Where's the beef Ari? Too touristy for you? Almost every town everywhere has a summer season ice cream shop. I must be missing something?
Interesting, Ari. I see your point but it doesn't bother me. I spent my first 9 years in Cranston and Providence, RI, certainly not tourist traps, and we had seasonal ice cream parlors in our neighborhoods. I then moved to Rehoboth, population 8,500 at the time, which believe it or not had two seasonal ice cream joints. One was a stand next to a mini-golf, but hey it sat vacant for 8 months of the year and it was right on Route 44.
I don't think Newburyport attracts enough business through the winter to keep all of the storefronts occupied. You'll regrettably always have periods with vacancies and high turnover rates. I think what Gram's offers in the summer months makes up for the hibernation in the winter months.
Plus the opening of Gram's marks the unofficial arrival of summer for me, and I guess I'm a sucker for traditions.
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