Ice cream comes in patriotic flavors

Star Spangled Ice Cream is hoping to lick the competition with a new deal that puts its patriotic ice cream on the shelves of a convenience store giant.

The patriotic product, billed as the conservative alternative to Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, is now available at 800 7-Eleven locations in the Mid-Atlantic region.

“We hope to get as big as Ben & Jerry’s and give them a run for their money,” said Richard Lessner, vice president of Star Spangled Ice Cream Co.

Last month, 7-Eleven started selling four pro-military flavors: “G.I. Love Chocolate,” “Fightin’ Marines Tough Cookies & Cream,” “Air Force Plane Vanilla” and “Navy Battle Chip.” The pints cost $2.99 each.

Star Spangled started selling quarts of ice cream — with such names as “I Hate the French Vanilla” and “Iraqi Road” — online in March 2003. Four quarts cost $76 and arrive at your door packed in dry ice. The company has sold more than 5,000 quarts online, Mr. Lessner said.

Star Spangled made its store debut at about 35 Farm Fresh locations in Virginia earlier this year.

“We’re not just selling a gimmick here,” Mr. Lessner said. “It’s a good product.”

The company donates 10 percent of its profits — both from online and store sales — to military charities including the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund and the Navy League.

Summer target

Baltimore is targeting Washingtonians in its new “Super-Stuffed Summer” marketing campaign valued at about $250,000.

The campaign, from the Baltimore Convention and Visitors Association (BACVA), includes print, outdoor, radio and online ads, as well as a Web site that features discounts.

In addition, Washingtonians can expect to see life-sized blue crabs roaming the streets on July 14 singing about Baltimore and handing out information about its “super-stuffed” summer.

BACVA arrives on the heels of what officials say was the most successful winter campaign to date — one that generated an estimated $41,000 in sales. At least 216 hotel packages were booked as a result of the campaign, based on reports from about half of the 25 hotels who participated in the program.

Retail rummage

• Brazilian furniture retailer Artefacto is expected to open a 16,000-square-foot showroom in Georgetown in October. The store, which will be located at 3333 M St. NW, is the first location in the area for the home-furnishings manufacturer and retailer, which operates nine locations in Brazil. Artefacto also has two stores and another under construction in Florida.

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