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Jarrettsville gets New Old-Time Ice Cream Parlor Mary Paramore
Susan and Bill Stevenson, owners of Jarrettsville Creamery & Deli, sat down for an interview in early November, less than three weeks after opening their doors. From the feel of the place to the foot traffic, the new business seems to be established in the community, and flourishing. Perhaps that’s because the couple is not new to Jarrettsville. Bill moved to the area as a teenager, while Susan’s family – the Kegley dairy-farming clan – has lived in Jarrettsville for going on five generations. Jarrettsville Creamery & Deli sits at 1747 Jarrettsville Rd., in 3,000 sq. ft. previously occupied by Jack’s Small Engines and just half a block north of the intersection of Maryland state roads 165 and 23. The business serves 24 flavors of homemade, hand-dipped ice cream. Susan took courses at the University of Wisconsin and Penn State to learn to create dairy confections. Since opening, pumpkin, apple pie and tractor tracks have emerged as the community’s favorite flavors. “We make our own waffle cones and I make the ice cream in a 24-quart Emory Thompson,” she said, pointing out a self-serve cooler she stocks with ice cream cakes, ice cream quarts and novelty treats. Bill explained the couple decided to add a deli to ensure the year-round viability of the business. The couple serves soups, wraps, hot and cold sandwiches made with Boar’s Head meats and cheeses, and homey specials that include “Goldie’s Famous Chicken Salad.” “Everybody always liked my chicken salad,” Susan said, explaining that Goldie Gross, her grandmother who passed on in 2005, created the recipe.
Friends and family have embraced the Stevensons and their concept for an old-time ice cream parlor, replete with penny candies, jams and bagged snacks, with a deli to meet the lunch and dinner demands of locals and those traveling through town. The business sports a tin ceiling, Wurlitzer juke box playing oldies from the 1940s through the 1980s, wash tubs full of goodies for sale, and tables inside and out for folks to sit, eat, visit and relax. Old 45 records, framed sheet music, Coca-Cola collectibles and photos of historic Jarrettsville don the walls. Susan Stevenson said friends of the family have donated knickknacks and photos for the store. A local antiques aficionado visited the creamery, left, and then returned with two items Susan has yet to display. “I need to make sure they are safe when I put them out,” she explained as she demonstrated using a bottle and spoon set designed to remove cream from milk and an old-fashioned ice cream scoop. With 22 part-time employees, from seniors to homemakers to students, it’s tempting to think the Stevensons have hired just about everyone in Jarrettsville to work for them. Noting the business is open seven days a week, Susan said, “We have to work around school hours and seniors picking up grandchildren off the school bus.” Susan’s parents, Marlene and George Kegley, are at Jarrettsville Creamery & Deli everyday. She helps behind the counter and makes salads, while he makes soups and washes dishes. Marlene Kegley laughed as she recounted her husband’s enthusiasm about the business and his new role as chief bottle washer. She said, “He gave me instructions the other day on how to wash the dishes. I told him, ‘I think I know how…” When asked what contributions she makes as her daughter and son-in-law get their new business up and running, Marlene said, “I do everything. I haven’t learned to make shakes and floats yet. There are some things you should not learn to do.” The Stevenson's two sons also are instrumental to the business's success. Marcus, 19, works in the store more than 25 hours a week while atending Stevenson University. Scott, 16 and a junior at North Harford High School, also works at the Creamery, dipping ice cream and making sandwiches. "We could not have done this without their help," Bill Stevenson said. Bill has worked full-time in sales at Jarrettsville’s Keene Dodge Chrysler Jeep for more than 25 years, while Susan is a part-time bookkeeper for Airtube Service Co. in Forest Hill. She manages day-to-day operations at Jarrettsville Creamery & Deli, perhaps taking after her great-grandmother, Bertha Almony Crowl, who opened a grocery store in Madonna in the 1920s.
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