New in Town: Piedmont Drip & Dip Co.
Written by Diane Helentjaris | Photos by Gracie Savage
Though the iconic Scruffy’s Ice Cream Parlor sign is now stored away in the Middleburg Museum, the bulldog valet statue is still on the job at 6 W. Washington Street. He stands patiently, in a ruffled shirt with a “bone-tie” at his neck and a rose in his lapel. He shoulders his tray with the samples of cones — plain, waffle, and sugar. Beginning with its opening on December 3, 1988, for the Middleburg Christmas parade, Scruffy’s played a prominent role in the community for decades. Thousands of ice cream cones, sundaes, and cups of coffee were served to eagerly waiting hands of customers. Tips were donated to local animal welfare efforts.
Scruffy’s April 1 Facebook post this year was no joke. The ice cream and coffee parlor was, indeed, closing. However, the location’s tradition for selling treats continues. Scruffy’s owner Hilleary Bogley has passed the reins to Nikki Shugar. Shugar’s coffee and ice cream shop, Piedmont Drip & Dip Co., opened a few weeks after the announcement of Scruffy’s closure.
Shugar was a natural choice for the shop’s future. Growing up in tiny Clinton Corners, New York, she’s the daughter of a chef and a pet shop owner. Those threads — animal care and the restaurant industry — weave through her life. For 17 years, she worked in animal control in Culpeper County. Through that job, she met Hilleary Bogley, an animal welfare advocate, founder of the Middleburg Humane Foundation, and owner of Scruffy’s. Shugar also kept her hand in the restaurant business over the years as the owner of Piedmont Steakhouse in Culpeper.
A couple of years ago, Shugar moved to Middleburg, which had long been a favorite weekend destination. She purchased the old Fun Shop building, another well-loved local site. When renovations are complete, it will open as the Piedmont Steakhouse Middleburg. She plans to offer ice cream there and is exploring the possibility of “adult” milkshakes flavored with liqueurs.
Coffee and ice cream are catnip to Americans. The average American, according to the International Dairy Foods Association, eats roughly 19 pounds of ice cream yearly. And coffee? The National Coffee Association found in a survey this year that two-thirds of American adults drink coffee daily, and those who do average three cups per day.
Though renamed the Piedmont Drip & Dip Co., the small shop under the striped awning has kept to the Scruffy playbook. Bogley spent time this spring sharing her tips, methods, and resources with the shop’s new owner. Shugar has “kept the menu, flavors, and appearance. Hilleary was here for 36 years,” she says. “Don’t fix what’s not broken.” The menu still carries Hershey ice cream in flavors like orange blossom, pistachio, banana pudding, and cookies and cream. Classic hot fudge and ever-popular brownie sundaes bring smiles as they appear through the open service window to waiting customers. A favorite, Shugar shares, combines both coffee and ice cream in an Italian-inspired treat. Affogato al caffè (which translates to “drowned in coffee”) consists of the ice cream flavor of the customer’s choice with hot espresso poured over it. Donated tips continue to support animal welfare efforts.
Folks have been satisfying their ice cream cravings at the little shop for more than three decades. Thanks to restaurateur and animal lover Nikki Shugar, this quintessential Middleburg feature will live on. Whether a person craves a coffee on a misty afternoon or needs a scoop of vanilla on a hot summer day, Piedmont Drip & Dip has them covered.
“People really enjoy ice cream,” Shugar says. “It’s a treat — I do the happy part of it, and [you] can’t go wrong. It’s fun to see the kids. They’re so excited!” ML
Piedmont Drip & Dip Co.
6 W. Washington Street
Middleburg, VA 20117
piedmontdripndip@gmail.com
Published in the July 2025 issue of Middleburg Life.