J.P. Licks – Boston’s Sweetest Delight!

JP Licks began its humble journey in 1981 with it’s first branch in, and you guessed it, JP. Vince Petryk, owner and founder, a self-described oddball from birth, began his career in ice cream as a dishwasher before ultimately becoming an ice cream maker and manager of his own shop at 26 years old.

“The shop immediately began to gain popularity and became a hit with local residents and area college students. Its eclectic look gave the store a distinctive atmosphere and my staff , mostly Mass College of Art students (who one customer good naturedly described in 1981, as a “freak show of polite, tattooed, body pierced, gay and lesbian kids, and other assorted weirdos”), added to the shop’s unique environment. J.P. Licks was not your traditional New England ice cream parlor. The ice creams were described in the first newspaper review as having “intense flavors, lacking any subtlety, like a sledge-hammer on your palate” . . . kinda like its founder’s personality. The reviewer also suggested to readers ” . . . you’d better hurry in to taste for yourself, because this place won’t be in business for long.” (Oh well, they got the first part right at least).”