PORT TOWNSEND, Wash. — Josh and Shirlena Freund bought an ice cream business in Port Townsend at exactly the wrong time: January 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
But something amazing happened: “Well actually we never closed a single day,” said Shirlena.
This town kept their ice cream place open.
“It was really precious to see locals coming and doing curbside pickup and buying chocolates, getting an ice cream cone or a milkshake, just to lift their spirits during that really difficult time and we were really happy to be able to stay open,” she said.
'Lifting spirits' has been the mission at Elevated Ice Cream ever since it began in 1977 - serving scoops from an antique elevator that remains across the street today.
Josh grew up in Port Townsend and knew all too well about this local legacy.
“I've been coming here since I was a little kid -- I literally have a photo of me and my sister sitting in one of the booths here,” he said.
Today the ice cream is still iconic.
“All of our ice creams are made here on site. We have original recipes, some of them have been here a long time, since the 70s and there are certain flavors that locals insist we always have,” said Shirlena.
The flavor most loved by locals?
“We always have Swiss Orange Chocolate Chip - we nicknamed that one Sworch because we say it so often,” said Shirlena.
All of the flavors feature local ingredients, like lavender lemon made with ‘Purple Haze’ lavender grown in Sequim.
There's also a candy store with Port Townsend-made chocolates -
an antique carousel buffalo for kids to ride – named sprinkles for the ones painted on his shoulders - and a waterfront view.
It's the kind of place where regulars, like 17-year-old Gabby Newton, become employees:
'I've been coming here since I was a little kid - my whole family. It's really nice to work here,” said Gabby.
It's also a family affair – the Freund’s 17-year-old son works in the ice cream parlor, their 14-year-old daughter works in the candy store, and the younger kids – the Freunds have 8 in all – are willing tasters.
Elevated Ice Cream has delighted kids and turned grownups into kids
for more than four decades. And now that it's in a new family it'll keep 'lifting spirits' one scoop at a time for generations to come.
Elevated Ice Cream is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 8 or 9 p.m. and is located at 627/631 Water St.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email.