By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-17 18:23:29 | Updated at 2024-11-17 20:18:25
2 hours ago
A beloved California ice cream parlor has shocked locals and its fans across the world after being put up for sale after almost a century.
The family-owned Superior Dairy in Hanford has been operating in the same spot since 1929, but is now on the market for $2.5 million.
The Central Valley mainstay is known for its enormous sundaes and family-friendly atmosphere that has attracted generations of customers.
The list of loyal customers included Steve Perry, front man of the rock band Journey, who grew up in the town and would visit the parlor on trips to his hometown.
However, after a series of family tragedies, coupled with the toll of the pandemic, its current generation have made the 'bittersweet' decision to find the establishment's next owner.
Superior Dairy in Hanford, California, is known for its positively enormous sundaes
Seven years ago Susan Bowden, whose family had owned the dairy business for the last hundred years, was tragically killed in a car accident when crossing the street to help her neighbor.
Her brother Tim was ready to retire at the time of the accident, and the tragedy only confirmed the decision.
And sadly, earlier this month, Susan's husband Ernie Wing also passed away.
'It's bittersweet but they have decided it is time to find the people that will run it for the next 95 years,' local realtor Ryan Portugal told DailyMail.com.
Portugal recalled that the 'unicorn' listing was so popular that he spent six hours on the phone taking calls from interested parties on the first day it hit the market.
The business is being sold as a 'going-concern', including its dairy and its restaurant.
This means that whoever buys the property can not only carry on operating the business as an ice cream parlor, but can keep making its famous flavors on-site.
Its much-coveted recipes, which have been handed down over the last century, are also included in the sale.
The ice cream has been made on site at the back of the shop since the 1920s, and is still made in old-fashioned 10-gallon batches.
The same 10 flavors, which include Rocky Road, Maplenut, Lemon Sherbet and Strawberry Freeze, have been served from when the business started until the present day.
As well as ice cream sundaes, the shop sells also shakes, floats and banana splits.
The nostalgic interior evokes the restaurant's long legacy
The parlor's much-coveted recipes, which have been handed down over the last century, are also included in the sale
Portugal explained that there is currently more than one bid for the business being considered, but that the family are keen to preserve the 'staple of the valley' and are leaning towards an offer that would keep ownership local.
'Of course whoever buys it in the end are free to do what they want but it would be a disservice to change too much,' he told DailyMail.com.
'You're buying it for its old-fashioned charm and its beloved recipes.
'It will stay an ice-cream parlor, and it is most likely that the ice-cream will still be produced on site at the beginning. The next owner may want to expand a bit but we'll have to wait and see.'
Superior Dairy, which is less than an hour's drive from renowned dairy farming area Fresno, has several celebrity fans alongside Steve Perry, including singer and producer Aaron Tippin and musician Vince Gill.
But its the local connections the Bowden family have done their best to nurture over the years which have meant they have gathered such a loyal following.
The family have prided themselves on offering employment to local youths.
Portugal himself began working at the restaurant when he was 12, and was first tasked with sweeping up outside the restaurant.
By eighth grade he had begun working inside the parlor, and stayed on part-time all through college.
Even after graduating he did some marketing for the business, and until recently would take care of the cash register and safe when the owners were out of town.
'And now I'm selling the place, it's bittersweet for me too,' he told DailyMail.com. 'I've come full circle.'
The family-owned business has suffered a series of tragedies leading up to the sale
Ice-cream fans travel far and wide for a taste of the homemade dairy products
The list of loyal customers included Journey front man Steve Perry (pictured in 1980) who grew up in the town and would visit the parlor on trips home
There have been local concerns about losing the business to out-of-towners, and Portugal has heard 'some rumblings' himself.
'People are worried about it changing or going away but I have a feeling it will stay in the local town.
'Most of the interest has been local around the Central Valley and a lot of people would love to have it and are very interested in preserving it,' he added.
Heartbroken customers lamented the news of the sale earlier this month.
'I've never had a bad flavor,' a customer told local news site Your Central Valley.
'I don't blame them for wanting to retire, I completely understand it. I hope they can find someone that loves it as much as the community does,' they added.
'It's tradition,' another local told the outlet.
'I've eaten ice cream all over the world and this is better than it gets,' they said.
