Chaps Ice Cream, the scoop shop that has anchored Charlottesville's Downtown Mall for decades, is expanding outside city limits for the first time, with a third location now in the works. The move follows the beloved local chain's recent growth onto the University of Virginia's Corner, and this time it's headed north, toward the Hollymead area.
According to The Daily Progress, Chaps will open its third location in the Charlottesville area as part of an expansion that takes the brand outside the city for the first time. The report notes that Hollymead Town Center sits just north of Charlottesville, and that new signage has gone up at the former Spoons Frozen Yogurt storefront there, announcing that new frozen desserts are coming soon. The Spoons location in Hollymead has closed.
From a 1950s-Style Soda Shop to Three Storefronts
Chaps traces its roots to founder Tony Labua, who the Daily Progress report says intended the original location to capture the look and feel of a 1950s soda shop or lunch counter. Chaps’ own account of its history, posted on chapsicecream.com, says Labua first opened the shop on the Downtown Mall in 1985 and produced ice cream onsite using recipes from his grandfather, Vaglio.
The company passed to new ownership in 2022, after Labua ran it for decades. Chaps’ official site echoes that it continues to produce its ice cream onsite using the original Vaglio recipes.
A Second Shop Built for Students
Chaps opened a second location aimed at reaching an underserved student market in the Corner shopping district near the University of Virginia. Chaps’ own site states the Corner location opened in 2024.
Rhys Aglio is a Chaps manager. C-VILLE Weekly identifies Aglio as a manager and reports a production schedule of three or four days a week and a lineup of roughly 25 flavors, as detailed by C-VILLE Weekly.
Seasonal Flavors and Digital Orders
Beyond its core lineup, Chaps rotates in seasonal flavors and offers custom ice cream cakes, cake cups and pup cups for dogs, according to C-VILLE Weekly's reporting.
New signage at the shuttered Spoons storefront promises frozen desserts ahead for Hollymead Town Center.
