Slip on your saddle shoes and visit Nifty Fifties Dip ‘N’ Grind
By Elizabeth Daniel, contributing writer
Posted on February 15, 2007

“It’s just a happy place to be,” Connie Shifflett said of her ‘50s-inspired ice cream shop, Nifty Fifties Dip ‘N’ Grind. With music and furniture from the ‘50s, the diner invites customers to go back in time.

Shifflett’s brothers came up with the name for the shop, one suggesting Nifty Fifties and the other Dip ‘N’ Grind. While the latter may make the establishment sound like a saucy dance studio, the milkshakes offered there are not the latest hip-hop boogie. 

Dip refers to the all-natural ice cream, made right here in the Old Dominion State on a hormone-free dairy farm.

“No one has [this ice cream] but us,” said Scott Shifflett, Connie’s husband and co-owner. Nifty Fifties is the only place to get this special creamery ice cream within 100 miles. The ice cream is so creamy, that when it is drawn out of the bowl by a spoon, it acts more like melted mozzarella than traditional ice cream.

As for the grinding at Nifty Fifties, that process happens at the shop’s espresso bar. The organically grown Mission coffee is whipped up into whatever a customer desires.

Nifty Fifties always has 12 flavors that you can enjoy in a homemade waffle cone, four of which are always available. Birthday cake, mint chocolate chip and coffee espresso are just some of the flavors that are available every day. The customer can combine any of those flavors or nine others, including soft serve.

“We go the distance. If somebody wants to be creative, we make it,” Connie Shifflet said. It is this attitude that sets Nifty Fifties apart from other ice cream joints — and other customer service experiences altogether. The Shifflets will make anything that a customer asks for. 

Also available are milkshakes, classic malts, ice cream cakes filled with your favorite hand-dipped flavor, Italian sodas, even Belgian waffles — the possibilities are endless.

Visiting Nifty Fifties won’t lighten your wallet, either. Prices are competitive and you could easily walk out the door with a hefty treat for under $5. The ice cream shop also offers a 10-percent discount with a valid student ID.

If you’re looking for something less sweet, the lunch special goes all day.  Dip ‘N’ dogs, or corndogs, and hotdogs are offered as well. Not a dog lover?  Mr. J’s bagels also tempt customers. The Shifflets hope that more JMU students will discover Nifty Fifties as a place to relax after a day at Massanutten or when they need to get away for a while. It’s definitely worth the drive for every occasion from a date to a night out with the pals.  “Come ski, do your studies — we’re open,” Scott Shifflet said.  Feel free to bring a laptop because Nifty Fifties is the only establishment around it that offers fast wireless internet. If you’re short on time, the Shifflets suggest calling ahead.

Nifty Fifties Dip ‘N’ Grind is located in the Olde Town Center, near the Thunderbird Café, on Rt. 33.  It is about 10 miles down on the right. They are open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, but they promise never to turn a customer away even at closing time. Call (540) 289-3476 for a pick-up order or for more information.