Through the magic of twitter, I discovered that Curt from Huston Street Racing was at BRICS the same night that I visited. He beat me to the punch with his post, but I won’t let that stop me.
There is a lot to love with BRICS. It’s good ice cream, so it’s hard to go wrong, but there’s much more than that to the story. BRICS reuses the long abandoned Monon Train Station, and there are reminders of this history throughout the shop.
The interior is clean and attractive, and features something I’ve never seen before: A single rotary turning two separate fan blades, connected via belts. It’s tough to tell from this picture, but it’s a nice touch:
They’ve paid attention to modern design:
I love the photos that honor the Monon Railroad:
Being a geography guy, I love the large map. I had always wondered what the Monon’s route was. Now I know, and I’m slightly jealous that I could have boarded a train to Chicago less than a mile from my house.
BRICS does a few other things right as well. They make their waffle cones in house. They sell wraps from Taste Cafe. And finally, metal tasting spoons and no bottled water to eliminate plastic consumption are simple but commendable steps that they have taken.Stores like BRICS are a large part of why I love living in this city. They are community gathering points where ideas are shared, and it seems like everyone is smiling and enjoying life. Yuppie, hippie, hipster, redneck; these lables don’t matter much…especially when you’re battling to keep from dripping ice cream on your shirt, just like everyone else.