Today we’d like to introduce you to Corey Bullock.
Hi Corey, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Lori and I have always loved traveling together. Some of our favorite memories are from those trips—finding little coffee shops, hunting down the best ice cream, and just wandering around and discovering places we loved. Somewhere along the way, we started talking about what it would be like to create a place of our own, something that captured that same feeling for other people.
It was a dream we carried with us for years. We spent more than a decade flipping houses while working full-time—me as a fine-dining chef and Lori in the medical field. It definitely wasn’t easy, but we kept saving and working toward the day when we could finally take a chance on ourselves.
Eventually, we found an old printing press building in Old Towne Petersburg, Virginia, and decided to go for it. We bought the building and completely gutted it, doing much of the work ourselves. For a year and a half, our lives revolved around renovating that space and trying to turn this crazy idea into something real.
And then, somewhere in the middle of all that, we found out we were expecting our first child—which definitely added another layer to the adventure.
After a year and a half of work, a lot of long days, plenty of uncertainty, and a surprise pregnancy, we finally opened Alter. Looking back, it really feels like Alter is a reflection of our life together—built from a lot of hard work, a little bit of risk, and our love for creating experiences and places that bring people together.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not. Opening Alter has probably been one of the biggest—and hardest—things we’ve ever done.
The renovation was a huge challenge. We took on an old printing press building, our biggest project by far and completely transformed it. I did almost all of the work myself—we didn’t hire out the jobs. Everything you see in the space was something we designed, built, or created ourselves. It took a year and a half of working on the building while also working our full-time jobs, and there were plenty of unexpected costs, setbacks, and very long days.
Then, right in the middle of all of that, we found out we were having a baby. Lori even laid tile at seven months pregnant because we were so determined to get this place open. Looking back, I’m not sure how we managed to do it all, but when we see people come in, enjoy the space, and make memories here, it makes all those long days and difficult moments feel worth it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My background is actually a combination of art, design, and food, which I think has shaped a lot of what Alter is today.
I went to college for Fine Arts and then continued into Industrial Design. I quickly realized, though, that I was going to spend most of my career behind a computer, and I knew that wasn’t where I wanted to be. I wanted to work with my hands and create something tangible, so I leaned into my passion for cooking and became a chef.
I spent more than a decade working in Richmond’s food scene. I had the opportunity to work under David Dunlap at Maple & Pine, who had previously been a Sous Chef at The Inn at Little Washington, and later continued my career at Longoven, working as Andrew Manning’s Sous Chef. Those experiences really shaped the way I think about food, hospitality, and creativity.
At the same time, Lori and I had started a pop-up dinner series called Euterra, which became a way for us to bring our love of art and food together. It was really the beginning of us imagining what our next chapter could look like.
Eventually, we sold our house and put every dime into the warehouse that now houses Alter. We’re building something that combines all of those pieces of our lives—food, design, art, hospitality, and creating things with our own hands. Alter is the first part of that vision, and eventually, we’d love for the space to also become home to Euterra.
I think what sets us apart is that we’re not coming at this from just one background. We’re artists, chefs, designers, builders, and, most importantly, we’re people who genuinely care about creating an experience.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I think for Lori and me, success has always been less about how much we have and more about what we’re able to build together.
I think about being able to look around and say, “We built this.”
Success is creating a life that gives us the freedom to be creative, work with our hands, spend time with our family, and build something we’re genuinely proud of.
With Alter, success is seeing people come through the door and feel something here—discovering a new flavor, sitting with friends, celebrating something, or simply making Alter part of their day.
More than anything, success is continuing to create things that matter to us and building places that bring people together. If we can look back years from now and know we got to grow two businesses together, I’d consider that a pretty successful life.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.altericecream.com
- Instagram: @alter_icecream
- Facebook: /alter.ice.cream.223352
