What was once known as HITS and Parlor Days before that at the corner of Piedmont Street and Walnut Avenue SE in Roanoke has been reborn as Blue Cow Ice Cream Company. Since opening in late May the ice cream shop, which makes all of its own product and labels itself as a “small batch creamery,” has been very busy at peak times and has received rave reviews on line.
Co-owners Jason and Carolyn Kiser purchased the HITS store when the previous owner decided to retire, then spent about six months renovating the space before reopening. “We thought Roanoke would need a craft ice cream shop,” said Jason Kiser, “to benefit the food scene.” Blue Cow’s signature may be the exotic blending of flavors in some of their ice creams, using ingredients like sweet corn, sunflower seed and goat cheese.
“We’re trying [also] to use local ingredients and local partnerships; we’re buying some coffee from Red Rooster out of Floyd [for example],” said Kiser. “We’re inspired by what’s fresh and what is available local as much as we can.” He calls ice cream a “blank page that you can do a lot with, we try to exploit that.” His previous experience in the ice cream business was back in high school.
The Kisers are also doing their part to support local artisans; there are tables made in Floyd from recovered wood and paintings from Roanoke area artists like Jamie Nervo in the bright, airy, welcoming shop.
Now the best part for those that like to walk, run or bike on the Roanoke River Greenway: Blue Cow sits right above the popular urban trail and is accessible by a path. You can also sit on an outside deck to enjoy your cone, cup or shake and there’s a bike rack at the bottom of the hill, as well.
“The reception so far has been really outstanding,” said Kiser, “the city and the community have come out to make it a really successful launch. The greenway is a great asset for Roanoke, as is the [Mill Mountain] Star and we’re hoping that we will be able to draw traffic as people are coming by and using the greenway.”
Case in point: the Kisers intend to install a water filling station for those on the greenway that need to top off their water bottles – another way to draw more potential customers to Blue Cow. Kiser says they will probably release that information on the Blue Cow Ice Cream Company Facebook page. “We’re hoping to tap into that [greenway crowd],” said Kiser.
By Gene Marrano
