As a Lexington resident, I have limited excursions to Buena Vista. Though it is only ten minutes away, there is not much that is different from what is offered in Lexington. 

That was all true until the Beeve opened its doors in September. This new business is a soda, souvenir, and ice cream shop all in one! 

I actually found the shop by accident. As I was driving home from a dinner with my family, I spotted some bright neon lights coming from the opposite direction. I turned the car right around because I had never seen something so bright and colorful in Buena Vista before. 

Upon finding out that it was an ice cream shop, I knew I had to go in and try it. Ice cream is my favorite dessert, and it is pretty hard to get in Lexington when Sweet Things closes before I even eat dinner. 

As you walk in, you are hit with the familiar smell of ice cream and some really bright lights. These lights illuminate a large pink, red, and green flower wall that sits right across from the door. 

To the left of the flower wall is a small souvenir station with all kinds of Buena Vista merchandise. From t-shirts to stickers to tote bags, anyone visiting can find something perfect to remind them of the cute shop and where it is located. 

After taking a peek at all of the little amenities the shop has to offer, you will finally end up at the ice cream counter. Here, you will be faced with a very tough decision… which flavor (or flavors) will you choose? 

When I went in, there were eight classic flavors, three rotating flavors, three sorbet flavors, and a seasonal surprise flavor. As a major ice cream fan, it was really difficult to choose between 15 different flavor choices, but I went with my all-time favorite classic: chocolate chip cookie dough. 

This cookie dough ice cream was delicious, and honestly I could not figure out why. I mean, I always like cookie dough, but this had some sort of extra sweet and vanilla flavor that made it impossible to resist. For that reason, I got three more scoops of the same flavor the next time I went in. 

I have yet to try all of the flavors, but other than cookie dough, I can definitely recommend strawberry, peanut butter, cookies and cream, and black raspberry. 

Aside from how great their products taste, this shop has plenty more going for them. For one, their prices are SO affordable, even with generous scoops of ice cream. The scoops start at $2.99 and add $1 for each extra scoop added. According to the menu, you can order up to four scoops, but the employees are so nice that I doubt anyone would refuse if you asked for more. 

This brings me to my final point: customer service. The friendliness of every employee is through the roof. Even the owner, Madeleine Wells, takes it upon herself to exude kindness each time I have seen her. 

When I mentioned to an employee that I was writing an article about their shop, she casually relayed information to Ms. Wells as I was walking out to my car. She then rushed out of the shop and made a big point to introduce herself to me and answer any lingering questions that I had. 

All in all, I would encourage anyone who likes ice cream to make the trip to 2175 Magnolia Ave, Buena Vista, VA 24416. They are open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on all weekdays, except Friday, where they open two hours earlier. On the weekend, they open from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and stay closed on Sundays. For more information, visit their instagram @the.beeve!