CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When the Diary Queen in Plaza Midwood closed after being in the community since the 1950s, people started looking elsewhere for their summer ice cream plans.

Come this May, a new ice cream shop is opening just down the road where Nova’s Bakery use to be. When the bakery closed, Ryan Griffith knew he had to make a move.
 
“I actually live two streets away, so the opportunity to serve my neighbors, it means a lot to me,” Griffith explains.

Griffith is friends with the owner of the bakery. Now, they’re leasing him the space in the neighborhood he lives in.
  
“Plaza Midwood has its own culture to it, it has its own vibe and energy. You don’t wanna come in here and be a cookie cutter franchise,” Griffith adds.

Marble Slab Creamery is set to open sometime in may where they will be hiring 20-25 locals.  
 
“Especially everything going on with COVID, having jobs available is a great thing to have. I’ll be hiring 20-25 people, probably local to the neighborhood. Ideally we’re trying to get, it’s your first job,” Griffith says. 

He’s keeping the character of this building alive, and also trying to stay true to the area. He says he’s also excited to add new, pandemic friendly features.

 “We’re doing a walk up window," Griffith says. "With everything going on with COVID, having an option where we can serve our customers where they don’t have to come into a busy store is ideal.” 

Griffith says, he knows he has big shoes to fill.
  
“Dairy Queen was an institution, they’ve been here for 40-50 years.”

And he’s up for the challenge, one scoop at a time.
 
Marble slab creamery will be making all of their ice cream fresh in house as well as homemade cookies.

Griffith hopes to finish demo soon, and get their doors open by May.