Photo by Kalista Diamantopoulos
Mark Spicer, owner of Capitol Snow outside his truck in Franconia.
A "snoball" in July? It's a hot item this summer.
Capitol Snow Shaved Ice, a frozen snack truck owned by a local teacher, is parked on Richmond Highway and in Franconia to help all of us stay cool this summer.
The brains behind the business belong to Mark Spicer, who also works as a physical education teacher at Forestdale Elementary School in Springfield.
Before starting his teaching job at Forestdale five years ago, Spicer was a part of a non-profit organization that taught kids how to ride bikes. As the bike technician, Spicer was driving trucks and trailers all over the country but was looking for an opportunity to stay in the Springfield area.
In 2017, Spicer went down to Mobile, Alabama on a whim and bought a shaved ice trailer. “I had no idea what we were doing,” he said, “but we really thought it was neat — the idea of snoballs.” According to Spicer, there are a lot of snow cone places in this area but not as many that sell snow balls — and yes, there is a difference. He explained that snow balls are fluffier, describing them as “snow-like” and “powdery.”
As for the fruit flavored syrup, all of them are homemade by Spicer's mother, who has become his business partner. All of the fruit used is locally sourced from Nalls Produce in Kingstowne.
Spicer started off serving shaved ice from his trailer at his neighborhood pool and various homeowner’s association functions, music festivals and fairs. He also parked the trailer outside Nalls Produce during the summer which helped him build a loyal clientele.
After a summer of vending at a variety of locations, Spicer felt it was time for Capitol Snow to have a storefront.
“We kind of figured our product was good enough that we could start a permanent location and we would get repeat customers, so I basically went to gas stations and stores with a brochure and was just asking if I can set up my trailer here.” Spicer said.
Spicer had a second trailer custom made and set it up outside the BP gas station at 6201 Franconia Road. Given all closures and restrictions due to the pandemic, he feels fortunate to be able to continue to serve shaved ice treats safely outside.
He was also invited by the pastor of Pillar Church of Woodlawn, at 9001 Richmond Hwy., to set up his trailer outside of the church. Capitol Snow started there last Saturday and offered $1 shaved ice in honor of their first weekend at that location.
“He has volleyball, cornhole boards and picnic tables with tents,” Spicer said. “It's kind of like a nice little hang out spot there.”
Besides their delectably sweet homemade fruit flavors, Capitol Snow likes to shake things up with special toppings and add-ons such as ice-cream on the bottom of the shaved ice and a Baltimore favorite — shaved ice topped with sticky marshmallow fluff.
Stay updated on Capitol Snow's whereabouts and offers by visiting their website or their Facebook page.
