By Nadya Korynikova
The highly-anticipated Graeter's ice cream shop is set to open on High Street this spring.
According to Richard Graeter, the company's president and CEO, the Cincinnati-based ice cream chain has been finalizing plans for its Oxford location for some time now. Graeter is a 1986 Miami University graduate.
The chain currently has 15 different store locations in Cincinnati and is well known for its hard scoop ice cream that is made only from natural ingredients.
The chain recently announced that it will be introducing five new ice cream flavors: bourbon pecan chocolate chip, black raspberry gelato, dark chocolate mint crunch gelato, toasted coconut gelato and banana foster gelato. These flavors will be featured in the new store.
The Oxford location is set to open before the summer break in May and will be located at 29 W. High St. in the former location of the Blink Boutique, a beauty salon which closed last June. Renovations of the building are now under way.
The Oxford location measures 2,000 square feet and will have 15 to 20 employees, most of which will be hired part time.
Graeter's will face the competition with other local ice cream options such as United Dairy Farmers, Spring Street Treats and the Orange Leaf frozen yogurt chain.
According to Alan Kyger, Oxford's Economic Development Director, the opening of Graeter's ice cream shop is not likely to affect the demand of other cream shops in Oxford.
"When something opens in town, you never want to see something else hurt and hopefully there is enough demand in Oxford for all of these [ice cream] businesses to be profitable," Kyger said. "Spring Street Treats has a soft serves, Orange leaf is a frozen yogurt. There are all different kinds of products from Graeter's."
According to Kyger, United Dairy Farmers will most likely be the greatest source of competition because they have the most similar type of products.
According to the manager at Orange Leaf, a Graeter's location will not greatly affect the demand of frozen yogurt.
"We have different products, so the problem is they are both cold," he said. "But Orange Leaf sells frozen yogurt and Grater's sells ice cream. I believe that frozen yogurt is much healthier product than ice cream."