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Now would be a great time to go eat ice cream
There’s an email going around trying to drum up support for It Must Be Heaven:
I have a co-worker who has a friend who needs your help keeping her business open. Please call, email, Facebook, etc. all your friends and family and tell them to go eat at “It Must Be Heaven”! The food is good, the price is right, and if you don’t help this sister out she will become unemployed.
The location is in Church Hill at 25th and East Broad Street across the street from Sun Trust bank. The address is 2505 East Broad Street and the number is 788-8158.
The hours are 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. They serve breakfast , lunch and dinner. They have great desserts (homemade cakes), ice cream, rice pudding, and corn pudding. They even deliver. They have crab soup to die for. Don’t take my word for it go see for yourself.
I’ve heard their prices are quite expensive so I’m not sure how well “the price is right” holds water…
I agree that It Must Be Heaven has great ice cream, and I would be very sorry to see it go out of business. However, I think their hours might be part of the problem. For a business that serves mostly ice cream to close at 8 PM makes it hard to get dessert there after dinner, which is a huge market. For working couples like us and many others in Church Hill, by the time you get home from work, make dinner, eat, and clean up, it’s usually right about 8 or a little after. If you ever look at places like Bev’s (Carytown) or Sweet Frog, they are always packed between 8 and 10.
The last 5 times I was in the mood for their ice cream, I have been disappointed because they are already closed. (And instead, I made my husband drive me across town to Sweet Frog.) So maybe you should suggest to your friend that she try to work her hours around when people want to eat ice cream, if she needs more customers.
This place is GREAT!
They serve Gelati Celesti ice cream, which if you are from Richmond, you know Gelati has been making ice cream here in Richmond for about 20 years. Before this shop opened, the only place you get it is at their store in the West End and if you get a dessert with ice cream at a restaurant here in town, 10 to 1 it’s Gelati Celesti.
So, we are so lucky to have this available to us in Church Hill. I really want more businesses to move in, as much anyone, and hope that everyone will support “It must be Heaven”
Hello,im the ownwer over @ omg cafe I would like to help out (It must be heaven) by extending my hand to business by giving them an opportunity to sale ice cream over @ my place starting next week if they would except my offer..(No strings attached)
That would be an awesome combination Deandre! I’m already getting hungry thinking about finishing up a pork chop meal and leaving with a big ice cream from It Must Be Heaven.
A merger of two of my favorite guilty pleasures would be a natural naming wise too – “OMG… It Must Be Heaven!” Perfect description…
I think so as well with us presenting our new “MAN DOWN” menu Monday with bigger portion of food and new items as well, plus the new chicken & waffle comes with w/ ice cream toppings so I thought this could of been a great opportunity for us & the community!!!
Deandre,
How generous of you to make such an offer! There are not enough folks like you on the hill…offering to help out another business like you have! What a perfect combo though! The only problem would be that there may not be room for ice cream after one of your delicious (and generous) meals!
It is true. They have great ice cream, great food, and friendly staff. I think their hours are only a slight problem. My wife and I went there all the time to get ice cream and shakes when we lived in Church Hill and they were the best. Once we even went there at 9pm and didn’t realize the were only open till 8pm, but it didn’t matter b/c the owner (who was cleaning up)came and unlocked the door for us and made two fantastic milkshakes without a second thought. I could only wish there was more businesses that would offer that kind of customer service. Everybody should chip in to keep Church Hill’s only ice cream shop open. Forget Sweet Frog and Bevs, they get enough business b/c of location alone. “It Must Be Heaven” is a true delight and it would be a real shame to see them go.
@#9 – I’m not saying their ice cream isn’t top-notch, or that they aren’t super-nice. Just that it’s hard to patronize a dessert place that closes so early. Location alone isn’t enough to sustain Bev’s and Sweet Frog either… being open when people are getting dessert helps those places a lot too.
Just sayin…. most customers will give their business to the store that is open.
Sorry the price has kept me away.
$5/scoop? I went once and never went back. I always go to Bevs or SweetFrog. Yes, I live in the hill.
Agree with #1. Went during one of the festivals and was shocked at how expensive a very small dish of raspberry sorbet was (well over $5 I believe) Frankly, while it was “good” it wasn’t great. The staff seemed nice and the place did seem clean…..Nothing about the place stood out though, and I was put off by the lack of any visually stimulating decor.
An ice cream shop needs to be open until at least 10pm in the Summer no questions asked….This is PRIME TIME for places like IMBH. Close early in the Winter if need be but for God’s sake, extend your hours in “peak season”
I support local business – alamo, cyclus, tricycle gardens, CHAH, blue wheeler, the hill, etc whenever possible. I went to this joint once and after tip it put me back ten bucks for a piece of pie-ala-mode. 2 or 3 other times I tried to stop by and they were closed. Sorry, but ten dollar dessert with inconvenient hours won’t work for me. I’d sooner go to The Market (gasp) and shell out half that for overpriced sorbet. Mind you, I shop at The Market only in dire emergencies. I hope they decrease prices and increase hours at IMBH… we as a community need to be able to partonize nearby commerce.
We went once too and were shocked at the price, especially considering it’s someone else’s ice cream and not unique/made on site. As to the Bev’s and Sweet Frog thing, well those businesses benefit from the movie goers before/after shows not to mention great foot traffic in general. Hmm if only there was a movie theater nearby and retail corridor that would promote foot traffic…
I suggested lunch catering to this business before, as I worked in Shockoe Slip and we frequently needed catering and liked to keep some variety and support local businesses.I was given a cool reception but I think if they do quality cooking and exceptional customer service then it could be a good way to support the business as well as spread the word to people who don’t live on the hill.
Where is IMBH? Do they haz interwebz? Give us affordable ice cream late at night!
Many who live in the area wonder where their income is coming from since it’s mostly empty. Any one know? Church supported.
Support Local.
There are many things to take into account when staying open late.
1. safety, especially if you can’t staff enough people to stay open with you until late hours
2. Will you get enough business in those late hours to cover cost electricty, labor?
Maybe you can make “to go” large containers of ice cream for workers to grab on their way home from work to enjoy in the evening.
many local businesses do not get product discounts like larger chains, “sweet frog”, for instance and therefore their prices have to be higher to cover cost.They also don’t have multiple chains and investors to help keep the doors open.
I pay $4.50 at the farmers market, (which is only open for a couple of hours), for a dozen of eggs rather than $2.00 a dozen at the market because I am getting a good healthy product and supporting LOCAL farmers.
I wish the owner much success – I am always sad to see great local businesses struggling. I will continue to stop by on my weekly stroll and have a scoop:)
#18. Enough with the tired excuses already. There are MANY local businesses that are doing just fine.
IMBH would double their business if they had decent hours and they lowered their prices by 20%. Quite frankly, despite their GREAT location, I can’t even be bothered to stop because the place always looks closed to me. It also doesn’t help that the decor looks like something out of a doctors waiting room….for the longest time there wasn’t even a splash of color ANYWHERE inside that building
Sorry, but NOTHING about the exterior makes me want to spend a nickel inside their doors.
#17 supposedly something called the Kingdom Church. Have you also noticed sometimes there are people in there who are asleep at a table? I have and others have told me they’ve seen it too.
#20 We have speculated as to how it can stay in business with no business! It must have an outside income.
#21 That’s my guess, too, outside income although I have no clue what it might be unless it’s the church collection plate. I agree, tough to figure out how a business stays in business for nearly three years with so few customers!
I read these post and it tells me exactly why no one wants to open a business in church hill(other than the crime rate). You are using the internet to dog this business owner and put her out of business. Why not be more constructive with your opinions and tell them directly to the owner. Write a letter or stop by and leave a suggestion. I read some of these comments and they are full of just pure evil. It is none of your business who is bank rolling the business. Do you ask who is bank rolling other local businesses around Richmond? Have you gone to a Baskin Robins lately? Have you gone to a Hagen Daas lately and checked out their prices? A lot of times we all go to chain restaurants and are not happy but we go back and give them another chance but with small mom and pop type businesses we are quick to write them off after one visit and then dog them as we hide behind the internet anonymously.
Have you tried to pay the rent, lights and other expenses associated with a business? Well, it is hard when you are charging $2.00 for something and your light bill for the business is $600 a month and you have only had 100 customers. Do the math 100 X $2.00= failure. Yes, dominion power charges a higher rate for businesses than they do residential homeowners. The phone companies also charge more, the gas companies charge businesses more. Unless you have the volume to make say $20,000 a month or more, then you must charge more or else you will never eat or pay your own personal bills or the bills of the business. Church Hill just does not have the volume.
So Church Hill residents, instead of dogging them out on this site, send in a constructive suggestion that they can use to better meet your needs and serve you and survive. Send it directly to them to help them. You say you want businesses to come to Church Hill. These posts tell me otherwise. I have been watching this site because I was interested in opening a business in Churchill and now I have second thoughts. I also wondered if these people posting are just poor, stingey or just plain evil. I hope, with all my heart it is not the last. Instead of chasing away a business with your negative posts, help to keep a business and give them the suggestions personally, I did that myself and they were very receptive.
Instead of dogging them on this site, help them to get the volume so they can lower the price.
When you dog out businesses, it makes other potential business owners stay away. The big chain restaurants are not willing to come to church hill so you ARE dependent upon Mom and Pop type businesses or you will travel to somewhere else in Richmond. Gas prices are high do you want to keep travelling?
As for the guy who wants the 1950s ice cream shop decor,do you know what that would cost in this day and age-try a half million to a milion dollars-yeah it is that expensive. That is a lot of money to put into a neighborhood that does not support small businesses.
You have someone who was willing to invest in the neighborhood and now you are pushing them out.
By the way, guess what? They do have customers-you have all said that you have been to It Must Be Heaven. If you are going, then someone else is going too. I went today and yesterday.
Lydia, I went 2 or 3 times a while back. I love ice cream, but they were really slow and expensive. Wanting it to be different doesn’t make it so. I go to Cold Stone now, sorry.
People around here want businesses that deliver good service at a good price, and will support those businesses. See the recent comments on STRAIGHT OUT OF PHILLY for proof of that http://chpn.net/news/2011/06/06/str8-out-of-philly_18196/.
@Lydia–how many of these customers are repeats other than you? I went once because I heard the crab soup was delicious. It was, but it was NOT worth $1/ounce. Eight bucks for a cup of soup, seriously? Seven bucks for a milkshake? Not to mention the two guys passed out on a table at one in the afternoon on a Thursday. Str8 Out of Philly isn’t an interior designer’s dream but it’s clean and has a few inexpensively framed posters around and as others have said they offer great food for reasonable prices. Same with OMG Cafe, another new Hill business. Look at Buffington & Wine, who did splash out on decor but is dying because the food isn’t that great. Trust me, if IMBH dropped its prices and stayed open later, even if it were just on weekends, they’d do business. Oh–and stop people from using the place as a pit stop to sleep off the last bender.
Lydia – get real. There are plenty of businesses on the hill that HAVE ample customer support to not have to worry about paying their light bill. It’s all about giving people what they want for a fair price. Look at Alamo… need I say more.
Thank god the big chain restaurants are afraid to come here! It’s gross to think there’s even a McDonalds down the hill (not to mention those uglyass newly constructed apartment buildings).
You want to see a well run business? Just watch what Kendra does with The Roosevelt when it opens. I’d wager they’ll have her homemade pie on the menu for $4-5. Anyone willing to pay more than that for a scoop of ice cream (not even made on site) is a jackass. The rest of IMBH’s menu (although tasty as it may be) is equally inflated. As a business, maybe IMBH needs to get in touch with the community themselves.
Irregardless of what a few dozen neighbors write on CHPN, you would think at this point they would figure it out on their own. It’s not the responsibility of people reading this (most of who seem to have issues with the hours/prices) to beat down their door and give them suggestions.
Nevertheless, I do hope that they can stay open and make the changes needed to drum up customer support. People in Church Hill are all about keeping it local when possible. Ask your neighbors…
By the way, Lydia, if you are already convinced folks on the hill are “poor, stingy, or just plain evil”, please open your business in the far west end. You’ll fit right in.
@25- IMBH is expensive and slow but Cold Stone isn’t? Even when you add in your commute across town? Assuming you live in CH, it’s as cheap and fast as you can find. Even if you put no value on your time, the gas alone adds a buck or two to the cost of other options.
I went in just after they opened, then again w/my son. We were the only ones there & it took over 30 min. for us to get our lunch. I told her I’d like to meet w/her & we did. I gave her several suggestions. (My daughter is an interior designer) Just this week, I sent a friend there who wants to open a bakery/lunch spot in CH/UH. And this is before I read this post. I thought the IMBH might need the help & my friend may avoid all the start up costs of opening a place on her own. She is an amazing baker-delicious! But the owner said she was associated w/a church & wasn’t interested. So, one must help themselves. And my friend is stilling looking for a location. Any suggestions?
Lydia, you are confused. It’s not the neighborhood’s responsibility to help this business “get the volume so they can lower the price.” If they want volume then they should price their food accordingly to drive traffic into the store; giving them more sales with high prices will not encourage lowering the price. People vote with their wallets and this business has priced themselves outside the reach of the neighborhood.
It’s also discouraging that you seem to blame the people who read and post on this neighborhood blog. These are the same folks that support local businesses (and quite a few who run them). It’s true that sometimes discussions here get derailed but I’ve seen quite a few constructive suggestions on this post, which the business owner would be wise to heed. I’m sure if you made a post about the business you’re thinking of starting on the Hill you’d receive a lot of feedback as well–probably even some folks volunteering to help out.
I love the ice cream at IMBH. I did know it it was made by another company, but tried to see past that. However, I will echo what others have already said. This place has to be open past 8pm, especially for those of us that work. I have walked up to this place many times, only to see that it was closed. The owners are very nice and have always seemed helpful. I just think the hours are killing them. The price is a tad high, but the quality of the ice cream is much higher than most of the chains in the area.
There are a number of businesses doing well in Church Hill. They listen to their customers and they know their target audience.
We have been a number of times, but our personal observations and experiences drive us to look elsewhere for a “treat.”
It is out of line expensive.
There are people who just hang out in there-not eating, just hanging out, which doesn’t promote business.
They don’t have convenient hours.
We are not dogging them, I am sure the owner is reading these responses and if she does she will see what the people in the area that she is attempting to target business to are saying and make adjustments to the hours, the price and some of the loitering.
On an added note to Lydia-“1950’s decor would not cost 1/2 million-1 million dollars to re-create. While it is not my first concern with this business, the decor could use some help. Personally, I don’t think it is their priority at this point. However, since you exaggerated the cost I felt compelled to point out that there are a number of fine contractors in Church Hill that would be able to help with this sort of project without spending nearly that much money in fact a good interior designer could make a huge impact for several thousand dollars. Additionally, if their light bill is $600/month there is a problem, the business rate isn’t that much more than residential.
I LOVE ICE CREAM, but I’ve never been there because of the prices/religious theme/not making their own ice cream. A friend did bring me some “to-go” once and it was tasty, but not that amazing for the price. I think if you are going to have a single purpose business, you should MAKE YOUR OWN, especially if you want to charge $5 a scoop. {Note: there are great small non-chain gelato places in Charlottesville and Staunton that make their own gelato and do not charge $5 a scoop.}
We did try to go recently, but it was closed at 8 as others have noted, so we grabbed a tub of Breyers from the Market. Cheaper and
Zookeeper #32, you wrote “I am sure the owner is reading these responses and if she does she will see what the people in the area that she is attempting to target business to are saying and make adjustments to the hours, the price and some of the loitering.”
Having lived nearby for three years, I rather doubt she cares to make adjustments in the hours, price or loitering. She turned down a baker moving baked goods there with her (post #29) because she was associated with a church and not interested. I think she doesn’t care about the public opinion. Just my opinion.
Also she used to be open until 10 p.m. but I still never saw many customers in there then, either (other than those asleep at the tables).
Hey guys, I just went on a two day work related field trip with co-workers, and on Wednesday we visited an ice cream parlor/restaurant in (of all places) Cumberland, Maryland, and I was AWESTRUCK with how great it is and how successful! It had all sorts of awards posted from the city and county chambers of commerce as well as lots of other awards. It was totally NOT like the one we have here – except that it was in an old building. To begin with, there were lots of flowers planted in flower boxes and around the bldg., then there were actually lots of people ordering inside – and no one would DARE sleep at that place!
The sandwiches were way more awesome than the menu sounds, and they ALL came with a teensie-tiny cone of ice cream with maybe a tablespoon scoop of ice cream on it, to entice everyone to order ice cream!
We got there around 11:30 so just before lunch rush but there were already five or six women there with kids – they had booths and tables built for adults but with small kid-sized tables and chairs (for up to six or seven year olds) adjacent. All filled. As we left around 12:30, there were probably thirty or forty people of all ages there. The simple BLT that I had was awesome, with thick slices of probably local tomatoes, and the vanilla ice cream cone was wonderful. I’d gladly patronize something like that here.
This menu/website won’t really give you all of the ambiance but here: http://www.queencitycreamery.com/index.htm
In comparing and contrasting, I think the problem here with the ice cream store isn’t simply the hours. It’s way more complicated than that, the place in Cumberland isn’t trying to support a church or encourage customers to sleep, it’s trying to be a business, and it is very obviously succeeding. Just saying, and hey, it was a DELICIOUS lunch not likely to be duplicated at the place on Broad Street. Maybe so at the new place on Marshall, though!
Damn you crd! You are making me hungry.
While I have never tried their ice cream, I have been there once and will never return. I stopped in at 12:30 on a Wednesday (prime lunch time for area business) and I should have turned right around when I noticed not a single other person was there. I ordered their filet sandwich (which I believe was around $15!)but figured since it was FILET, it would be worth the price. I waited for over 25 minutes (though told it would take ten) and the entire time 4 employees were huddled in a corner whispering while preparing the sandwich, multiple times I heard the microwave beeping (??). I was getting ready to walk out when they finally brought the sandwich to me. When I got it home and opened the container it had a FOUL sweet smell, very distinctive of expired rotten meat. One bite and I thought I was going to puke, it was so horrid! $15 in the trash can and a waste of my lunch break…seeing as how it never has any business when I drive by and look, I would assume others have had unpleasant experiences as well.
I’m guessing this place must get some type of grants (minority status) to stay in business.
@Lou, please read the threads before you post and you will not post ignorance for all to read. It is clear from the posts prior to your what is helping it-not a grant, not a handout-God’s work!!
IMBH = It Might Be Open – I was glad to see their hours published on here, because I could never figure them out otherwise. Just last night, they were closed well before 8:00 PM. I’m glad their ice-cream is so expensive. Otherwise, I would weigh 400 pounds.
Wow – their ice cream is amazing. This was my first time going, I went a little after 8 pm. Well worth it, this was some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had. It’s about what you would pay at Coldstone.
Got a phone call today from someone who works in the same block as this store. He said they were evicted a day or so ago, with the sheriff’s deputy in attendance, for non-payment of rent. The store is no longer open, had appeared closed for at least a week, and now it is truly closed.
Sorry to hear that. The ladies who ran the place were super nice and the ice cream was very good. It’s not surprising though given their inconsistent hours and prices. It’s hard to run an ice cream shop when you are getting your ice cream elsewhere and I think the high cost they had to pay made it hard to sell at a profit and low enough price. I wish them luck and would love to see them find a place to land where they can continue to bring cheer to our community.