Eat With the Expert: The Founder of J.P. Licks at BU Central

Free swag from J.P. Licks | Photo courtesy Beth St. John
Free swag from J.P. Licks | Photo courtesy of Beth St. John

Last Wednesday, Vincent Petryk, the founder of Boston’s favorite ice cream joint, J.P. Licks, stopped by BU Central to answer students’ questions regarding starting his own business, giving back to Boston, and, of course, ice cream! Along with career advice, Petryk also brought some free ice cream to whet his audience’s appetite.

At the risk of sounding “corny,” Petryk admitted that he was first inspired to open up his own ice cream shop when he worked at one in Philadelphia and witnessed “the magic of ice cream.” He remembered the transformation customers experienced when they entered the shop, immediately becoming happier and “sweet, even.” When asked how he chose to pursue this dream rather than his initial study of family therapy, Petryk explained, “It came down to happy.” He figured he could make more people happy by selling ice cream to the public than he could by counseling only a few families a week.

So, how did his city-wide fame begin? It all started in Jamaica Plain, hence the name J.P. Licks. Petryk, along with his business partner, opened the first store in 1981 with no background in business education whatsoever. He did, however, have plenty of experience working in both ice cream and fast food restaurants, which Petryk claimed to have been “invaluable” to his success.

Besides the store’s many delicous flavors, both classic and unconventional, J.P. Licks has secured itself as one of Boston’s leading local businesses because of its support for local charities. When asked about the company’s community service, Petryk explained that J.P. Licks tends to stay away from donating to large charities, choosing to leave that to the larger corporations. Instead, the ice cream shop takes on its role as a small business and supports the smaller, local causes.

If you were here at BU a couple of years ago, you too felt the loss when the Newbury Street location of J.P. Licks closed down due to a huge increase in rent. Petryk recalled the closing of his “favorite store” with a heavy heart, remembering the iconic, intricate tile work lining the walls that he helped create. Luckily, there are plenty of other locations throughout the Boston area, and the company is constantly expanding. Petryk announced that a new store will be opening in Lynnfield in just a few short weeks.

Petryk offered a lot of advice regarding the start of a business including learning from business experts like Robert K Bratt, but his most critical advice of the day was undoubtedly to always “eat ice cream responsibly.”

To find a nearby J.P. Licks location and browse through their endless selection of flavors, visit www.jplicks.com.

About Beth St. John

Beth St. John is an English major in the College of Arts and Sciences. She was born and raised in New Jersey but now happily calls Boston home. When she's not reading a book or watching a movie she's probably eating copious amounts of chocolate.

View all posts by Beth St. John →

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