The Trouble With Gifford’s Ice Cream Shops
Oct 6, 2010 15:24 - 7 Comments
Many people have been wondering why the Gifford’s Ice Cream Shop in Rockville Town Square is often closed. When we thought it must have gone out of business, the Shop would be open in the evening or on the weekend. What’s been happening?
Today Neal Lieberman of Gifford’s Wholesale informed the Town Center Action Team (TCAT) that they sold all of the Gifford’s stores to a Baltimore investor back in January. He described the situation in an email:
Unfortunately, the Baltimore guy has been a terrible partner to us, to the landlords, to the suppliers, etc. and we are in court with him to try and get the stores back. Due to the length of time it takes in the court system, we are not sure if that is going to happen (legally getting the stores back) before the landlord’s formally evict him from the premises.
Gifford’s Wholesale is actively looking to find new franchisees and present them to the landlord as alternatives.
The shops are located in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Rockville, Downtown DC, and Downtown Baltimore.
That’s too bad, but it’s hard to miss Gifford’s in RTS with Berrycup close by and the amazing York Castle just down the road. Andrew Gifford himself said that York Castle’s owner (former long-time Gifford’s employee Calver “Cal” Headley) is the only one making “real Gifford’s ice cream” that so many of us grew up with. It’s an interesting story — more info can be found at Andrew’s blog:
http://santafewritersproject.blogspot.com/2008/08/recipes.html
Chowhound:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/659175?tag=search_results;results_list
And of course the fantastic and heartbreaking Washington Post Magazine about Andrew Gifford:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/14/AR2008081401431.html
Giffords is just a bought name on a building… Obviously the owners thought they’d make some easy money selling stores to some “investor” and it didn’t work out. Sometimes thats the way it goes. I got ice cream there once…when i had a half price coupon. That made it almost worth it.
Berry cup is the place….get exactly what u want, put what you want in it…pay only for what you take.
i wonder who is responsible for the sales of giffords products at places like giant? i just bought some for the first time because they were on sale -two pints for $7. i would never pay full price. i didn’t think they were good enough to buy again.
i feel bad for the local employees of the retail stores. many are school kids.
Gifford’s is gone. The Town Square location is now vacant. The shop certainly had been operating as if it wanted to disappear, and now it has.
Speaking of gone: Bobby’s Crabcakes is closed. It’s too bad: Bobby’s a great guy and his crab cakes rock. Let’s see what the foodies (not!) at Federal Realty come up with to replace these two.
And what’s the story on our grocery store? Anyone notice that, ever since the SuperFresh deal fell through, the grocery store up the pike has started calling themselves the “Rockville Town Center” Giant?
Too bad about Bobby’s Crabcakes. I hope the replacement is also locally owned and serves fresh and imaginative food well prepared. And that the economy is good enough for it to succeed.
update on the sad saga of giffords-and given the taste, i am not surprised to learn it was not real!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/23/AR2010102303999.html