By Taylor Boyd
To keep a space they loved from closing, Daniel and Justine Elliott purchased the former Harvest House Emporium and reopened it as Arcadian Cafe & Ice Cream Parlour.
Justine Elliott said the couple bought the space after Harvest House owner Angel Garner announced she was closing, not because they had originally planned to buy a business.
They took over ownership in early May.
“When she told us that she was closing, I was heartbroken because we really loved what she did with the place,” she said. “The milkshakes were so good, and this was kind of our favorite date-night place. I felt like the space was really promising as a community spot for people to hang out with board games, puzzles, and things.”
At first, she said, she thought it was a “hairbrained” idea. But she asked her husband, Daniel Elliott, what he thought.
“He was supposed to say ‘no, that’s crazy,’ but instead he said, ‘Well, let’s ask her some questions and see if she’s open to that.’ Angel was willing to share her recipes with us, sell us her equipment and give us some tips on starting out,” she said. “We just ended up looking at the numbers and were like, ‘OK. You know what, this might actually work.’ I guess so far it is, and hopefully it continues.”
In addition to milkshakes, ice cream, truffles, and fudge previously sold at Harvest House, Arcadian Cafe also offers Homestead Creamery products, including milk and fresh eggs.
“We also use some consignment stuff like she did,” Elliott said. “We’re trying to focus a little bit more on that because we really want more small businesses to be noticed, and so we’re trying to get as many different people in here with their products as possible.”
The cafe currently features Gingerly Snapped lotions, soaps and lip balm products, crocheted bookmarks, pottery, 3D resin animals, magnets, bracelets and more.
“Just kind of an array of things,” she said.
Daniel Elliott said the couple is also considering expanding the menu in the future.
“We jumped into this on short notice trying to get open before the Strawberry Festival. We’re just trying to get our feet under us for what we’re doing and then figure out how we can expand to get more stuff in,” he said.
The Elliots also plan to host weekly community events on Friday nights. The first Friday in June featured trivia night.
“We’re thinking maybe some swing dancing or karaoke, or we might even have some local talent,” Justine Elliott said. “We have some people that we know that are young magicians who are still starting out, and we’d love to let them come in and practice their shows.”
Daniel Elliott said he chose the name “Arcadian” after looking up synonyms for simple and rustic.
“Arcadian is a noun for something that’s simple, quaint and old-fashioned, and if something is described as Arcadian it’s something that’s idealistic, picturesque and pastoral,” he said. “We wanted to be someplace that’s kind of like things used to be when we would go someplace to hang out with friends, because nowadays a lot of people are just on their phones all the time.”
Noting there is not a lot to do in the evening in Patrick County, Daniel Elliott said he hopes the Arcadian Cafe becomes a place where people can gather and enjoy good drinks and company.
Arcadian Cafe & Ice Cream Parlour is open Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m.
For more information, visit Facebook.com/TheArcadianCafe&IceCreamParlour.
