For over seven decades, Austin’s Ice Cream has been a beloved staple in the community, serving homemade ice cream since 1947. What started as a single shop has grown to two locations and a food truck. Since Joyce Snyder acquired the business in 1983, it has remained family-owned and is now run by siblings Taylor Strickland Chambers and Tim Ruff alongside their mother, Kim Adkins.

Strickland Chambers, who grew up in the shop, calls working at Austin’s a “rite of passage.” She attended Marshall University, where she played volleyball, and later earned a master’s in human resource management. After coaching volleyball for a while, she returned to the family business, eager to continue her grandmother’s legacy. Her brother focuses on crafting the ice cream and developing new flavors. Strickland Chambers manages social media, marketing and community outreach, while their mother oversees finances and logistics. 

Austin’s operates two brick-and-mortar locations. The original Ceredo, West Virginia, shop is open seasonally from March through mid-fall, while Austin’s at the Market in downtown Huntington is open year-round, offering seasonal treats, like ice cream pies, tasting boxes and advent calendars. The food truck can be spotted at community events, such as Marshall University games and the famous Kenova Pumpkin House.

The decision to open the downtown location was inspired by Huntington’s growth. 

“I wanted to do something downtown,” Strickland Chambers said. “Huntington has grown so much in the past 10-15 years…, and I wanted to be part of that.” The Market location has been open for seven years.

Austin’s is a member of the North American Ice Cream Association, which allows ice cream businesses to share ideas and connect with each other. The association also holds an annual ice cream convention, ConeCon, every November where members can submit their flavors to be judged by ice cream scientists from Cornell University and by their peers. Austin’s has earned multiple awards, including:

• Grandmaster Ice Cream Maker Award: Tim Ruff won this for earning three blue ribbons in a five year span with their chocolate ice cream.
• Dairy-Free Flavor of the Year: Awarded for their dairy-free apple cinnamon oatmeal flavor.
• Southern Flavor of the Year: Recognized three years ago for “Campfire S’mores,” now called “S’more Than a Feeling.”

They’ve also placed in ribbon levels for their chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavors. Customer favorites include chocolate brownie fudge, black raspberry, chocolate, butter pecan and grape pineapple, with “Bussin’ Brownie” being a top seller at the Market location.

Beyond ice cream, Strickland Chambers focuses on creative ways to engage with the community, hosting events like “Stuff Your Stanley” and “Ice Cream for Breakfast.” Stuff Your Stanley will be returning for the second time this year on Feb. 23, where customers can fill any reusable tumbler with four scoops of ice cream for $10. 

For the shop’s 75th anniversary, they held a golden ticket contest where the winner designed their own flavor. 

“This little girl named Kara made Kara-mello Crunch,” Strickland Chambers said. “We haven’t made it again, but we need to because it was absolutely delicious.”

For Strickland Chambers, the biggest reward of running Austin’s is family. 

“My grandmother is 90 years old, and she gets to watch all of this grow,” she said. “She loves it.” 

The business also values its employees, treating them like family. 

“I find so much joy in creating a work environment where these kids grow — not just as employees, but as people,” she said. 

Many employees stay through college, with some finding their careers at Austin’s.

For those interested in joining the team, the Ceredo location is currently hiring, and applications can be submitted on their website. Strickland Chambers also encourages Marshall students and the community to continue to shop locally. 

“Just continuing to come down, support local businesses downtown, not just us,” she said.

Maggie Gibbs can be contacted at [email protected].