THE BEGINNING
The Hop’s story is one of perseverance and adaptability. It shows how sometimes there is success found in struggle, and the great value in a community of people who care.
The Hop circa 1985. Photo by Joey Harrison.
It does not begin with the current owners, Ashley and Greg Garrison.
It starts much earlier than that.
In 1978, while passing through the area, legend has it that two New York gentlemen fell in love with the mountains and decided to stay. They opened up a small, 50’s inspired ice cream shop in an old art deco service station in the Woolsey Dip, calling it, The Hop.
The Hop quickly became a gathering place during summer nights. Their drive thru was a favorite of locals and tourists alike, with lines of cars stretching down Merrimon Ave waiting to get a treat. People grew up in and around The Hop, bringing their children and grandchildren to participate in the sweet, delicious fun.
Over the next two and a half decades The Hop changed hands a few times, each owner adding their own twist - including the whimsical drive-thru mural (which was later auctioned off for charity). All the while, the reputation grew.
The Hop had become an Asheville institution.
This was the business Ashley Garrison came into in 2003 when she first walked in for a scoop of Kahlua Fudge after a date with her then boyfriend, Greg. She immediately appreciated the funky old building, delicious flavors, and hominess. That August, while attending UNC Asheville, she was hired to work at The Hop. Greg was hired that fall, and the couple found themselves connecting to the many regulars and enjoying the job together.
All seemed as it should be, but there was big change on the horizon for The Hop.
With a heavy heart, in 2006 the owners decided to move from the cool, though dilapidated, little building. Ashley had graduated and was working as their only manager. She found herself running the store while the owners prepared and renovated a new space – a former animal clinic in Merrimon Square Shopping Center.