INWOOD, W.Va. (AP) - To passersbys - the few that don’t already know all about Jules of Inwood - it may seem like a typical ice cream stand, bright lights and colors, a giant cone on top of a box in a parking lot. But to many, including fans far and wide, it means much more, especially to the family that has owned the business since it’s inception 25 years ago.
The Dinchs’ four kids herding into the trailer like a second home, Samantha Dinch pointed to her oldest and laughed that she had been pregnant with her daughter and worked the stand the night before she was born.
“We both did,” Samantha said, looking at her husband with a smile. “I was super, super pregnant, and we worked that night, went home, got everything ready to have her the next day.”
Since Samantha’s grandparents began Jules over two decades ago, the stand has been a home to her, her family and her friends. It’s a place where relationships are built and memories are made.
The stand originally stood near what is now Heritage Hall, Samantha recalling the tales of the early years, from when she was a child. It’s located now along Gerrardstown Road, in the parking lot of a few storefronts, the bright lights and welcoming feeling calling to all who drive by.
“My grandfather had worked in the ice cream industry for a really long time, worked on people’s ice cream machines, traveled all over to fix ice cream machines,” she said. “My grandmother had an uncle, who was like a father figure to her, and he said for the longest time that once he retired, he wanted to open an ice cream shop just to keep him busy, something for him to do. He ended up passing away before he was able to do that. So they decided to open their own business, open an ice cream shop, and in his honor, they named it Jules. That’s where the name comes from. His name was Julius, and he was called Jules for short.
“I’ve basically grown up in it. My grandmother used to walk across the street to Musselman Middle to pick me up from school and take me back to the ice cream shop. I would do my homework there. I would eat dinner there. I’ve pretty much grown up in it my whole entire life.”
As Samantha grew up, her role in the business did, too, working the stand alongside her friends and, eventually, David Dinch, her now husband, the pair dating as teenagers. The couple graduated from Musselman and continued to work the stand, moving away for a brief period, before returning home - both to Inwood and Jules.
Now, Samantha and David own and operate the business, carrying on that family legacy her grandparents started all those years ago along U.S. 11.
“Last year, my grandparents decided that they wanted to retire. The plan was to eventually for us to own the business,” Samantha said. “That time came last year. They were just ready to retire. This our first year of fully owning it and doing it on our own.”
Looking to her four children, Samantha doesn’t take for granted the flexibility the stand allows, the opportunity to connect with her children in a place that once connected her to her grandparents.
“They’ve basically grown up in it,” she said. “Even now, they go and help me get stock. They go to the grocery store with me when we need to get stuff for here. They help out a lot. They enjoy it for the most part. It’ll help them get a good work ethic.”
To consider where the business began - a thought in her grandparents’ minds, a way to honor a beloved man - to where it is now, still blows the couple’s mind, a place that means so much to so many even outside of their family.
“For me, I know more so the background of everything, how my grandparents literally started this from nothing,” Samantha said. “It was an idea, and then, it became this 25 years later. To me, that’s the coolest part, that they literally started from absolutely nothing. They would be excited when they did 50 small cones in a day, and now, we’re doing almost 200 small cones in a day. Just to see how it’s grown from being so small to - It’s still a small family business. We do everything - to this now, it’s crazy. We are super blessed that we get to do what we get to do. I get to be with my kids. I get to do this.
“When we close for the winter, these (sides) come down. The whole entire thing is shut down. When people see those sides go up, they start commenting on Facebook, ‘We saw the sides go up. When you guys opening?’ People know what to look for to know when we’re getting ready to open. For us, knowing the background of the business, knowing they started this with no experience other than my grandfather knowing how to work on machines, and now it’s become this, that to me is pretty cool.”
And to see the reach amazes them even more, fans of Jules being far and wide, to the point Inwood and Jules are synonymous at times.
“The crazy thing with that is how far people know or have heard of Jules,” David said. “Somebody at church, they went on a cruise or something to Mexico, and somebody asked where they were from. They said, ‘Have you ever been to Jules?’ It’s crazy.
“It’s crazy a little trailer like this is a heck of a staple for a little town like this.”
The draws to customers’ hearts are many, the perfect combination of delicious frozen custard, that beloved small-town, welcoming feeling and great customer service. Samantha and David expressed their gratitude for “their girls,” the high schoolers not much different than themselves years ago who work at the stand in the evenings, serving delicious treats to customers with a smile.
It’s because of that team that Jules was able to make the most of 2020 and get through COVID-19 pretty much unscathed.
“It was stressful because this is a small space, so the Health Department told us we had to lower the amount of people we had in here,” Samantha said, recalling last said. “May is prime time for us. It’s starting to get warm. Kids are getting out of school. We, normally, in our busy season, keep five girls down here in the evening because we get so extremely busy. And not always can five girls keep up because we’re so busy. But we didn’t have a choice. We had to knock it down to three people in the evening.
“Our girls worked so hard last season. They’ve always worked well, but they really had to hustle last year.”
From practicing every protocol to mitigate the spread of the virus to battling product shortages and hoarding Reese’s Peanut Butter and apple dumplings due to distribution shortages, the Jules team made it work. The line might have been a little longer, the wait times a few more minutes but customers were never without their favorite treats from their favorite frozen dessert team.
“We have a lot of regulars, a lot of regulars,” Samantha said. “They come up to the window, and they don’t even have to say their order. The girls already know what they get.”
And as much love as the customers have for Jules, the team returns that, looking forward to the next visit from their favorite faces.
“We have this one gentleman, who comes up. His wife, at the end of last season, had gotten really sick with cancer,” Samantha said. “The girls were super excited to see him come up, and his wife was in the front seat with him.”
With customers approaching the window, hoping the stand had opened a little earlier than a Facebook post from the day announced, Samantha and David take in every second, every moment with gratitude.
“I posted on our Facebook page, saying we weren’t opening until 3 today, (a customer) said, ‘From the time we got in line to the time we ordered and got our ice cream, it was almost an hour, but it was so worth it,’” Samantha said. “To me, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, almost an hour.’ I want to say I’m sorry, but she was so excited, ‘It was totally worth it.’ A line to some people may be like, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re not going to wait in that line,’ but to other people, ‘Man, must be really good. Let’s wait in line and get ice cream.’”
The couple intends to carry on the Jules tradition in giving back, just like her grandparents did as owners, wanting to support the community that has supported them over the years. The family is looking forward to another successful season and many more to come with the stand that means so much.
“We don’t take for granted the fact that this little metal box has done so much for my grandparents, so much for our family,” Samantha said. “We never want to take that for granted. My grandparents for years have always given back, in the church or the community, wherever. That’s something we want to continue to do because of this. God’s blessed us with this business to be able to provide for our family. We want to be able to bless other people because of this place.”
Jules is open from noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 9 p.m. on Sundays, cash or check only. This week’s flavor is peanut butter ice cream.
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