For the third installment of our ice cream reviews, we visited Park Circle Creamery in North Charleston to review their quaint, little shop. Without further ado, here’s the review:

Appearance: 

It is a small and very cute shop located on East Montague Avenue. The inside and outside are both brightly colored and have a cozy and inviting atmosphere. The inside is lined with ice cream related motivational messages including: “Don’t Worry, Eat Icecream” and Peace, Love and Icecream.” They noticeably forgot a space between Ice and Cream, but we will let it slide due to the absolute adorableness of the messages. There is a cardboard cut-out of a cow inside that asks you, “Got Ice Cream? We do.” Lastly they have these purple shelves inside that while providing a great pop of color, are very overpopulated.

Ambiance: 

This place was pretty chill. It had such a nice feel to it. When we walked in, he ( the owner, manager, worker?) said “hey” to us almost as if he had known us for years. It actually threw me off guard to a degree… we walked in and were greeted so warmly that I thought I genuinely knew the guy—or at least someone I was there with knew him. He wasn’t even behind the counter, he was just sitting at one of the tables. In fact, it was a solid minute or two of conversation before he even walked behind the counter to begin the actual transaction (it never felt like a transaction, though, actually it felt more like it feels when one of my friends comes to visit me at Build-A-Bear and ends up buying something—not sure what to call that—but not a transaction). And then after we bought our ice cream, when we sat down, he maintained conversation with us just enough for us to feel welcome, but remained mindful of letting us carry on our own conversations. It was super nice because, at the time we were his only customers, and he didn’t just desert us, nor attach himself to us either. And then, when others walked in, they waved to us, also, as if they knew us. It was actually so strange to me! Everywhere else I’ve gone for ice cream, everyone else is there for themselves: maybe they’re celebrating something, consoling something, or anywhere in between, but they’re always doing it intrinsically, not with anyone else in the store. But here, they didn’t just come for the ice cream, they came for everyone else that was there, too. It was like being a part of a community. It was like we knew everyone and always felt welcome. This ambiance was chill, but it was also warm and welcoming like no other ice cream place we’d gone to. 

Selection: 

Their selection was limited. They had eight options to choose from, though many of them were not mainstream enough for those who prefer to go with the more normal flavors. The most normal flavors they had were cookies & cream, strawberry, and vanilla. I was definitely disappointed in the number of choices because though there was an adequate amount, I felt personally the options were not necessarily flavors I would want to eat. 

Taste: 

The ice cream was good. It was smooth, light, and also thick and rich—somehow a perfect mixture. And although there weren’t many flavor options, the flavors they did have were good. It also comes with a free pretzel stick which is nice. The ice cream was great pretty much, but also, if you couldn’t tell by the non-sequitorness of this paragraph: it was fine ice cream, but not noteworthy. If this were Marble Slab, I’d be talking about how great the ice cream was, especially with the toppings mixed in. Meanwhile, if this were Baskin Robbins, I’d mention all the crazy flavors they have and that they’re not as trash as I remember them being. Or, if I were talking about Ye Ole Fashioned, I’d say the thick ice cream was more flavorful per spoonful than *something flavorful.* But, alas, there is nothing much to say about Park Circle Creamery’s ice cream. It’s… ehmm… fine, not bad, not at all bad, but it’s not noteworthy. I can’t think of a reason it stands out compared to any other ice cream place. Well… no. Well… OK, so I think the ice cream was really creamy. And I know that sounds stupid, but I’m saying it’s creamier than like, most other ice creams I’ve had—well, unless they’re melted. Regardless, that’s all I have to say about that.

Price: 

We felt it was overpriced for the amount of ice cream I got keeping in mind there are no toppings. I spent $6 on two scoops of ice cream with the two pretzels that came with it. Also we found it odd that it is cash only, definitely not with the times. They even had the facilities for card payment, but still only accepted cash. Why? It is less convenient considering that these days less and less people are carrying cash. They even spent the money to have an ATM machine in the store. Why pay that extra money when the ability for card payment is right in front of you. It is simply less convenient and may limit the number of customers they get. 

Final Thoughts: 

Elan: OK. Hmm. This is gonna be a doozy. I thought it was good, let’s start with that. It was good. But, here’s where it gets confusing: It wasn’t great. I thought the ice cream was fine, the experience itself was fun, and the area was ok… but like, the price? Bruhhhh. I spend $6.13 every Monday at Marble Slab, and I get a lot for that cost. Meanwhile, I spent $4 at Park Circle Creamery, and I got… not nearly what I paid for. The scoop size is fine—not a ripoff or anything—but it was just… lacking. There weren’t free toppings, there weren’t massive amounts of ice cream, and there weren’t cool souvenirs that came with the ice cream, so where did that money go to? They also only accepted cash, which was fine, but, like, a nuisance. I had cash, luckily, but: How. Awkward. Would. It. Have. Been. If. I. Didn’t?  I think it could definitely improve some things, but also, I wouldn’t judge anyone for going there. It’s the kind of place you could see all the kids in the neighborhood walking to after school to hangout or something. Like a staple hangout place that eventually hires all of them. Oooh! Remind me to write that down—very good tv show idea lol. Regardless, to residents of this area of North Charleston, it works very well. In fact, I would still recommend it to residents who live nearer to Coldstone (mostly because I’m biased though), but if you live nearer to a Marble Slab, Baskin Robbins, Ye Ole Fashioned, or Ben & Jerry’s… I’d suggest you go there. All that being said though, it does have something to show for it considering it’s  a smaller-non-chain kind of joint, and it maintains that welcoming environment that I like so much. Therefore, my final decision is: it is good. I won’t always go there, but if it’s convenient/I’m meeting someone there, that will suffice. 

Emily:

Overall it was okay, but it would not be my first pick for ice cream. The parking is hard to get to and out of the way. The price isn’t great for the amount and the lack of toppings. It is okay for those who enjoy a family kind of feel in a ice cream shop, but that is not my preference and for me it wasn’t worth the hassle.