SALEM, Va. – It’s always nice to visit a place that lives up to the hype, right? That’s exactly what happened when we visited The Dilly Dally in Salem. The building may be 110 years old, but it’s still thriving. Manager, Tyler Jackins, remembers what it was like when she was a kid.
“I had always come to the store when I was younger than 10. My mom would get my candy or just something special to have – like a good memory.”
Now, it’s come full circle. She tells us, “To be that person that can do that now for kids…that interaction…just to see their smile just light up on their face; it’s really fantastic.”
Speaking of fantastic, the menu has a little bit of everything. That includes comfort food for the upcoming cooler months.
“Soups in the fall and wintertime. We make sandwiches with our homemade pimento cheese and chicken salad. Now we’ve got 20 flavors. Just go with whatever you’re wanting for the day.”
The ice cream menu started with just ten flavors, but as Jackins just said - it’s doubled in the last year and a half. Some of the favorites include, “Michigan pothole for sure, Anna’s banana pudding. The seasonal flavors we have out right now are the pumpkin pie supreme and the apple crisp.”
Jackins took the pumpkin pie supreme and added a shot of espresso, along with some whipped cream, for an in-house frappe!
Now, you can’t go to The Dilly Dally without trying a Dilly Dog. To their surprise, Jackins says, “People from all around have heard about our hot dogs. It’s something we definitely didn’t expect.”
It’s not just food here, though. The other side of the building is decked out with t-shirts, soaps, syrups and so much more. All of this garners as much local support as possible.
“A lot of places don’t sell the things we have. We have some rare items. Just things that people haven’t seen before. When you walk in, it’s like a breath of fresh air. You just get to relax for a minute. I mean…it’s called The Dilly Dally for a reason.”
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