Herrell's Ice Cream & Bakery

Steve Herrell started out owning an ice cream business, Steve’s, in Davis Square in Somerville. This is where the idea of mixing cookies and candy into ice cream was developed, and Steve is credited with the creation of the Cookies & Cream flavor as well as Heath Bar Crunch. When he sold the business in Somerville, he decided to move to Western MA, as he owned a property in Goshen at the time and had friends in this area. Once he settled in, he realized he knew too much about ice cream to stay out of the business. That motivation led to the opening of Herrell’s in Thornes in 1980.

Northampton was really bustling at that time, with many well-established businesses. It felt like a destination spot, with vibrant energy and plentiful offerings, including many live music events. People were coming to visit, locals were frequenting their favorite spots, and Herrell’s definitely became a major attraction. At that time, positive word-of-mouth advertising was a huge factor in making the business successful. Herrell’s also decided to expand upon Steve’s idea of mixing cookies and candy into ice cream, offering everything from M&Ms to Hydrox cookies to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. At that time, we actually dedicated entire shifts to the process of breaking up the mix-ins.

We always wanted Herrell’s to be a welcoming place where kids could come after school, people could go on dates, or families could go for a treat. We’ve even had weddings happen in line because they first met at Herrell’s, and it was such a meaningful spot for them. I’ve been there from almost the beginning, but I preferred being in the background. I did a lot of the marketing, as well as social media in the beginning of that era. I also always had other jobs, including store manager of Iris Photo from 1990 to 2006. I would work there during the day, then run down to Herrell’s in the evenings. While I do think we could’ve opened in any college town that had a decent amount of pedestrian, family, and tourist traffic, Northampton’s vibe and energy just felt right at that time.

Honestly, I just love being in Thornes. I love that I’m not alone most of the time—I am almost constantly engaging with other business owners, employees in the building, and customers. I appreciate that people who visit Herrell’s will also ask me where they can go to get a great meal (I often send them up to Paul & Elizabeth’s!), an affogato, or a special gift. It’s fun being able to direct them to other businesses in the building and around town.

People are friendly with each other and with customers, and there is a general pleasant atmosphere of support and helpfulness in the building.We have a great sense of community here at Thornes and wonderful relationships. We occasionally get magazines or newspapers that visit, wanting to interview us or film here, so I’ll call Jody and have her come down to talk about Thornes. Or, such as when CNN recently visited, she’ll call or text me to see if I want someone to come speak with us.

When it comes to redoing or updating things at the store, Thornes wants to help us out. It’s a joy to be in a space where you don't have to be aggressive—you can have a respectful conversation about what you might need or want. And of course, we love Rich, Jody, and Shaun. They think about the stores as part of a family that all works together and learns from each other. Even when I might have an expensive update in the store, I feel comfortable asking Thornes if they can help out in some way and nine times out of ten, they will say “of course.” I don’t know of any other situation where a landlord would do that.

Though Thornes is technically classified as a mall, it’s not your typical mall. Being in Thornes is like a warm hug, and I like that feeling. A lot of people ask why we haven’t moved to Main Street, but I don’t think we’ve ever been on a main drag, even when selling franchises. We’re happy being a little off the beaten path.

Vanilla is always the most popular. We have Regular Vanilla, High-Definition, Private Stock, and Malted. For flavors on the horizon, we’re working on a Citron ice cream. We’ll also be updating our tomato ice cream with a different form of preserve that will make it taste less like tomato soup. We’re excited to experiment with a few more savory flavors—we’re “playing with our food” more! A few years ago, we did a Thanksgiving flavor. I’d like to play around with Thyme a bit more, as well as some Indian spices. I want to test out some herbs as well, particularly ones that can be distilled and used as oils for the ice cream. I am also still working on our no sugar added formulation so we can eliminate Splenda. It’s a process and a challenge to get it just right, but I am determined to figure it out.

We also love asking customers what they’d like to see. For example, we had a contest earlier in the year and the two flavors that won were a Green Tea Matcha with a Raspberry Swirl and a Dubai Chocolate. We make a deconstructed version of the Dubai Chocolate with tahina, phyllo dough, chocolate, and pistachio. It’s just fun to get creative and expand our horizons with unique flavors.

We’ll probably be bringing back the Event of Gluttony this winter—the great ice cream eating competition. You get three minutes to eat as much ice cream as you can with a metal spoon, and you can’t hug your tub because that melts the sides. We also hope to bring back the Margaritaville event in January or February, when we offer all of the summer flavors, decorate the store like we’re at the beach, and play Jimmy Buffet tunes. It’s nice to have these events to look forward to in winter!

I still really enjoy teaching the Science of Ice Cream Making class at UMASS. It challenges me and I enjoy passing on my knowledge to students, some of whom are also employees.

I miss traveling; I haven’t done it for a long time. Someone in my life who is like a niece to me is getting married this fall in the NY area, and Stephan and I have to figure out how to get away so we can be there. We also always love trying out different restaurants, though we don’t do it quite as much anymore. We also try to escape to a local lakehouse on the weekends for some decompression time.

Fun Fact: In 1995, we were asked to make a special ice cream which would serve as a component of a dessert for a French Foreign Legion event honoring Julia Child’s contribution to the culinary world. Julia aided in the profile of what she wanted, helping us create a great flavor. We had so much fun working on it, and we still serve the Private Stock Vanilla today!