Hop Ice Cream on Merrimon Avenue is temporarily closed, others are open
ASHEVILLE – A local ice cream shop remains closed as cleanup and reconstruction efforts continue following a major water leak.
Hop Handcrafted Ice Cream’s store at 640 Merrimon Ave. is expected to remain closed for nearly two weeks after the business reportedly took on water from a clogged drain at a neighboring establishment.
Co-owner Greg Garrison said that on the morning of Aug. 12, employees from The Hop’s sister dessert shop, Pop Bubble Tea, which occupies part of the store space, entered the building and found parts of the ceiling had collapsed and water was pooling on the floor.
Pop Bubble Tea was not affected and remains open.
The Hop, Unit 103, and Romeo’s Vegan Burgers, Unit 203, are tenants of Merrimon Square, owned by Ri Jian Chen of Chen Cube Properties LLC and managed by Tessier Management Company.
Garrison said Tessier employees immediately offered assistance, including providing dehumidifiers to dry the water, helping with cleanup and calling a restoration company to rebuild both stores.
“Upstairs at Romeo’s, a drain was clogged and the water from the ice machine was flowing into it,” Garrison said. “So when there was a clog, the water from the sink overflowed and ran onto the floor.”
He said the water seeped into the floor and through the hop’s ceiling tiles, drywall and insulation.
Romeo’s owners were unavailable for comment at the time of publication, but Garrison said he has been working with the restaurant’s team to resolve the issue and restore it.
Garrison said there was about 2 inches of water on Romeo’s floor and as much as 1.5 inches in some areas of the hop.
He said only The Hop and Romeo’s were affected and that the vegan restaurant would be able to reopen later the same day, but the rear part of the restaurant, including the public toilets, would be closed during repairs.
“Romeo’s came down with a vacuum and pulled out stuff to help us, which was amazing and super nice of them,” Garrison said. “We’re thankful that after they took care of their upstairs, they came down to take care of us.”
Garrison said the equipment was not directly affected, but the company lost an estimated several thousand dollars worth of inventory, including ice cream that had to be thrown away.
He estimates the biggest financial loss will be several thousand dollars in sales resulting from the store’s closure during the expected two-week period – a peak time for the company before summer travel ends and the school year begins.
The cost of reconstruction is unknown and business owners are assessing the damage for an insurance claim.
Garrison recommends customers visit Pop Bubble Tea and The Hop’s other locations at 721 Haywood Road in West Asheville, 56 Patton Ave. in the S&W Market downtown and 114 Cherry St. in Black Mountain. The Hop Creamery is at 167 Haywood Road.
“People have been incredibly supportive, and it has exceeded our expectations or imagination,” he said.
Garrison said the Merrimon Avenue store has about eight employees, including four full-time employees. Garrison said he and his wife have committed to paying workers for their originally scheduled shifts. Some have taken shifts at other locations.
“That’s one of the reasons we encourage others to go to our other locations to help offset some of those costs,” Garrison said. “We can’t leave them hanging. That was the first thing we had to figure out before we did anything.”
He said The Hop is preparing for the big launch of a seasonal flavor: Southern Comfort — a peach bourbon ice cream — on Aug. 23.
A reopening party is being considered at the North Asheville location.
“We are grateful for the support of this community and feel the love,” Garrison said. “When we reopen, we will share it with everyone as best we can.”
For more information, visit hopicecreamnc.com and romeosveganburgers.com.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a Citizen Times subscription.
