Human of San Marcos: Lindsey James Belk

By Sarah Bey
Blog Content Contributor

Lindsey James Belk is one of the partnered owners of Rhea’s Ice Cream on North LBJ Drive. Belk, along with the owners of Root Cellar Cafe and Brewery, has owned the ice cream shop for about 10 months. We talked about Belk’s music career and his experiences in San Marcos.

Bey: Belk said he has been in San Marcos for about ten years. Where did you come from?

Belk: I grew up in Austin, born and raised. Then, spent one year in Durango, Colorado. I went for my freshman year (of college) in Durango and I went to Fort Lewis College. It was a super liberal, on-top-of-a-mountain college which was awesome. While I was there, I studied international business and Spanish and then I transferred here and studied engineering and mathematics. I think I graduated in 2012, maybe. I don’t remember. It was a while ago though, a hot minute.

Bey: You said you were in two bands. Could you tell me about that?

Belk: I play in The Refrains and another band called Those Nights. For both bands I’m the singer and the guitar player. For The Refrains, I’m the lead singer and the back-up singer in Those Nights. They are two very different bands. The Refrains has been around for about three years and it’s a concept band. It’s two refrains. It means to have taste in the music; to play with the song means having to refrain from overplaying basically. Those Nights (came from) an old song.

Lindsey James and Arah Lee of The Refrains play at The Hitch during this year’s MR Fest.

Bey: So, since you work and own an ice cream shop, what are your favorite flavors?

Belk: My favorite ice cream is probably the avocado coconut, the goat cheese raspberry, and the vanilla. I really like the vegans (ice creams). I like them all. I like ice cream a lot.

Bey: Why did you decide to partially own Rhea’s?

Belk: I don’t know. I was looking for a new venture. I had been managing the Root Cellar for about a hundred years and I didn’t really want to leave the family but I wanted to do something different.

Bey: What are your favorite things to do in San Marcos?

Belk: I ride my bike to the river. I really love fishing. The Texas Hill Country is really beautiful and I ride a motorcycle so I take motorcycle rides everywhere. Canyon Lake is right down the road, it’s really excellent. (San Marcos) is the best place on Earth, right here.