_{This story is from The Heights, an independent, nonprofit newspaper run by Boston College students with which the Newton Beacon has a partnership.}

New City Microcreamery opened Friday, drawing students and alumni inside with new flavors, but comparisons to its predecessor still hold, and, according to Johnny Koczela, it doesn’t feel the same as White Mountain Creamery.

“My reaction is sort of a bittersweet sensation,” said Koczela, BCSSW ’26 and CSTM ’26. “I think it is perhaps a loss for the BC community.”

White Mountain had served students with scoops of ice cream since 1983, before transitioning to new management under Peter and George Coufos in 1993. Coufos announced to employees that the store would be closing on Nov. 14.

The announcement drew flocks of students, alumni, and Newton residents to the store, forming long lines and forcing the store to close two days early on Nov. 21.

New City Microcreamery, a regional chain with locations in Arlington, Hudson, Cambridge, and Sudbury, renovated the shop before opening on Friday, repainting the walls and adding televisions, but keeping the original White Mountain sign to honor its history.

“I respect that it had been such a force in the community and at BC,” said Salvatore Nuzzo, CSOM ’26.

While students miss the White Mountain aesthetic, reviews of the ice cream have been generally positive.

“I think it’s really good,” said Audrey Xiao, MCAS ’27. “I haven’t really tried a lot of the flavors, but I think it’s good.”

Xiao reported a positive experience with the service and buzzing atmosphere perpetuated by the staff.

“The service was really great,” Xiao said. “They were quick with it, they let everyone get samples, and the people working there were really nice.”

A general dissatisfaction with the shop, however, was often mentioned due to the new screens on the walls, which cycle images of the store’s products and ice cream–making process.

“I mean, I support the opening and transfer of power, but the screens are the first thing I noticed compared to the old, more rustic look of the store,” said Sarah Wiederman, BCSSW ’27.

Koczela mentioned a similar dislike of the TVs’ effect on the overall atmosphere, which, coupled with newly painted white walls, detracted from White Mountain’s original feel.

“It feels at least a bit more sterile now,” he said. “The screens add to the sterile nature.”

Xiao expressed a similar longing for White Mountain’s nostalgic atmosphere, one marked by a warm, charming feeling experienced upon walking into the shop.

“The area’s also very modernized, which I think misses that charm of the homemade ice cream shop,” said Xiao.

The homemade ice cream and family ownership made White Mountain unique, compared to other stores in the area, Nuzzo noted.

“Just how many places that are local can you think of?” Nuzzo said. “What do we have left in the community? So you kind of, you’ve definitely lost something that way.”

New City Microcreamery offers a slew of new eccentric flavors, including vanilla bourbon, baklava, and turtle pecan pie.

“They have a lot of unique flavors, and the seasonal flavors are in, and it seems at least like everyone’s been enjoying it,” Xiao said. “They have definitely more trendy flavors. They have Dubai chocolate, but I tried the tres leches, and it was good.”

Even amid sadness over the transition of power, Koczela expressed an understanding of the change, noting he thinks it came at the right time for the previous owners.

“It was a real fixture for [Coufos], though, the former proprietor, I think it was the time for him to move on with his personal journey,” Koczela said.

Despite the changes, Xiao described an excitement to discover the store’s flavors further, and, while aware that it will be a location to get used to, looks forward to adopting it into her new routine.

“I think I will definitely go back,” she said. “I think it will take some time to not think of it in comparison to White Mountain, but I think it being replaced with another ice cream store is definitely something that will keep at least me and other students and friends I know coming back to the store.”