Keene lost one of its longtime ice cream spots last week, and gained a new one within days. Rick's Gourmet Ice Cream has closed, and Charlotte's Sweet Scoops opened Thursday in the same storefront at 58 Key Road, The Keene Sentinel reports. The turnover was quick enough that most customers probably didn't notice a gap.
So Long, Rick's
Rick's had a 23-year run in Keene. Owner Rick Fulwider opened the shop in March 2003 in the downtown mill complex then known as the Center at Keene, now the Center at Colony Mill. At one point he also ran a second location on Park Avenue in West Keene.
In 2012, Fulwider closed both shops and consolidated into a former Curves gym on Key Road. The new space was 1,600 square feet, compared with about 900 at the mill, and it had indoor seating for 20.
That's where Rick's built its reputation. The shop sat next to Five Guys and served frozen custard soft-serve, more than 50 hard-serve flavors, and Flavor Burst soft-serve. Its best-known item was the 32-ounce "Monstah" milkshake, which the shop billed as the biggest in the state.
Pratt told the Sentinel that Rick's closed last week. Why it closed is unclear: the Sentinel couldn't reach Fulwider for comment Friday.
[EDITOR: Try Fulwider again for comment on the closure.]
Meet the New Scoop Shop
Charlotte's Sweet Scoops is a family operation. It's owned by Sara Pratt and her husband, Richard, along with their son Reilly and his wife, Tanya.
The name comes from Sara Pratt's granddaughter, Charlotte. The decor will lean into the matching classic, E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web," so expect barnyard charm rather than Rick's look.
The shop is open now while renovations continue. Pratt said a grand reopening is planned once the work is done, though she doesn't have a date yet. A Facebook page is also on the way.
The Pratts Are Building a Small Ice Cream Empire
Charlotte's is the family's third ice cream shop in the Monadnock region in about five years.
- Village Creami-Cone, West Swanzey. In 2021, Sara Pratt bought the beloved Secord's Creami Cone on Route 10 from Shelley Secord and renamed it. She then bought the rest of the plaza and filled it with local businesses. She told the Sentinel at the time that she didn't change the ice cream at all, since the recipes had worked for decades.
- Village Creamery, Chesterfield. In 2023, the Pratts opened this shop in a former gun shop at Brook Street and Route 9. The building was partly built with barn boards salvaged from Swanzey's Bardwell Farm, and the shop serves fresh doughnuts and maple soft serve alongside its ice cream.
Add Charlotte's in Keene, and the family now has scoop shops in three neighboring towns.
Still an Ice Cream Address
The Key Road storefront has now been an ice cream shop for 14 years under two owners. Whether Charlotte's keeps any of the Rick's menu, Monstah shake included, is still an open question.
