The Charmery. 8851 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase.
The Charmery, an eclectic Baltimore ice cream parlor that collaborates with indie bands and churns out limited-edition flavors, opens Chevy Chase on Friday, June 23. Located in the freshly revitalized Chevy Chase Lake development, it’s the mini-chain’s first foray into the DC area.
The shop—which also has locations in Columbia and Towson—cycles through new flavors every week. Besides seven constant offerings, including vanilla and salty caramel, there are whimsical inventions like Ice Cream Sando (a deconstructed ice cream sandwich) and Cheese and Crackers (cheddar cheese ice cream with crushed Ritz). Flavors like Old Bay Caramel and “Tell Tale” Chocolate pay homage to Charm City. And the selection always includes dairy-free options, such as sorbets and coconut-milk-based creations.
The chain’s original location, whose facade is adorned with an enormous ice cream scoop, opened in 2013 in the quirky Hampden neighborhood, one of the hubs of Baltimore’s arts scene.
Owners Laura and David Alima are Maryland natives who have spent time in DC and in Northern California, where David worked as a reggae tour manager. Since opening their ice cream shop, they have collaborated on flavors with bands like Future Islands and My Morning Jacket, photographer Devin Allen, poet Kondwani Fidel, and Baltimore Raven Justin Tucker.
“I always thought my role was supporting artists,” David says. “Until I made ice cream I didn’t think I had any artistic ability.”
In honor of the Chevy Chase opening, they are honoring novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, who had roots in Montgomery County and is buried in Rockville, with a gin-and-lime ice cream called Fitzgerald’s Rickey. And a collaboration is in the works with Anju chef Angel Barreto.
The Alimas have also signed a lease in DC proper at The Parks at Walter Reed, but haven’t set an opening date yet. “We’re moving our way slowly into new areas and new neighborhoods,” David says. “We always wanted to be back on the map of DC.”
