PORT TOWNSEND — Big celebrations always seem to include ice cream.
Julie and David McCulloch’s Elevated Ice Cream has been the go-to place where locals and visitors have gathered for the past 41 years for celebrations, reunions and comfort.
To celebrate the company’s anniversary, the couple has decided to let someone else do the making of the treat.
Elevated Ice Cream on Water Street — the business, building and tasty recipes — is for sale.
The McCullochs started their iconic shop in 1977, the same decade that Ben & Jerry’s, Haagen Dazs and Steve’s Ice Cream were getting started.
“That was the beginning of good ice cream,” David said. “Prior to that, there had been all these small shops and soda fountain bars, but something had happened.”
Said Julie: “Grocery stores were mass marketing. So ice cream took a dive because of cost. You could get a dollar carton; it had become a loss leader in grocery stores. So when Elevated offered real ice cream, it was successful.”
David, who grew up in India, and Julie, who is a fifth-generation Washingtonian, were in their early 20s when they moved to Port Townsend so they could chase their dreams. David was a wooden boat builder who went on to repair large boats at Port Townsend Boatworks; Julie worked at the original Food Co-op and as a waitress at the Surf Cafe.
Julie said she loved the cute little vending stand in the antique Victorian elevator cage where falafel sandwiches were being sold in the summer of ’76.
Falafel was not a big hit.
So the next year, Julie started selling ice cream.
She scooped six flavors from the elevator cage to lines of people during hot and rainy days of summer.
Elevated Ice Cream was born.
After a successful first attempt, Julie and David saw the possibilities and worked with Norm Glover of Glover’s Ice Cream in the University District in Seattle. Glover was a friend of Julie’s grandmother and Julie had grown up enjoying his frozen treats.
Glover made all of his shop’s ice cream and was helpful to the young entrepreneurs by giving them recipes, help with equipment and business advice.
“He was a special mentor to us,” Julie said.
Part of the venture’s success is its connection to the local community. All ingredients, including fruit and nuts, are sourced locally or regionally.
“I used to buy raspberries from local kids that picked them from their own yards,” Julie said.
Something they don’t sell is a traditional scoop. For the past 14 years, all ice cream has been sold by weight.
Julie met a retired engineer from Colorado at an Ice Cream Retailers Association meeting who said everything should be sold by volume or weight.
“I thought it was perfect for Port Townsend because people here are open to change. They adopted the concept immediately,” she said.
“Salad is sold by pound, milk by the quart, most things are prepacked,” David said.
“What is a scoop? Some are big, some are smaller, there was no consistency. By changing to weighing our ice cream, our staff got incredibly accurate and our customers got just the amount they wanted.”
Swiss Orange Chocolate Chip is the most popular Elevated flavor. It’s been the top seller for 41 years, by a large margin. Also popular is Salted Chocolate Caramel Swirl and Lemon Chiffon. The shop has an international following and is consistently on “Best” lists regionally and nationally.
The Water Street business and property being sold includes a small inn perched on the top floor with views of the bay and Mount Rainier.
Windermere real estate agent Jan Garing said the waterfront property is 4,600 square feet with four private offices and two retail spaces.
The Inn at Waterfront Place is a fully-equipped rental with bedroom, living area, bath, furnished kitchen, washer/dryer and sundeck. The turn-key established ice cream business, complete with all the recipes and equipment, is part of the package.
The requested price was not available yet.
“We are finalizing the information and will go live with the details on the Multiple Listing Service on Tuesday,” Garing said.
The couple also operates Elevated Candy Company. That is not for sale at this time.
The original Elevated cage that Julie scooped ice cream out of during that first year is not available. Sadly, it sits in a lot across from the shop location on Water Street in disrepair. Efforts to purchase it by the McCullochs were not successful. Julie said it came from St. John’s Hospital complete with a blessing plaque and an Otis elevator insignia that Julie saw every day that summer.
The McCullochs would like to find buyers for their shop who understand the artisanal food business but are also community-minded.
“We continuously hear from people how important Elevated has been in their lives to a depth we never really knew,” Julie said. “We want potential new buyers to recognize the significant aspect of the business but also of the community.
“I envision a multi-generation family.That could be an ideal arrangement, if our generation buys the building and their children buy and operate the business. We had that stability because my family bought our building in 1981 when we asked them to consider if they would help us out. That gave us the security to keep going for 41 years.”
“We never wanted to grow Elevated outside of Port Townsend,” David said. “We were interested in the community. We’ve been involved as a bike advocate and transit advocate for years. Julie has served on the City Council and was mayor, involved in the Land Trust, and is on the board of Peninsula College. We opted to have it as a lifestyle business almost. That allowed us to live in this wonderful town and participate rather than build a total business venture of expansion.”
They plan to spend more time gardening, traveling and visiting friends and seeing the North Olympic Peninsula with fresh eyes. And eating ice cream. Julie’s favorite flavor is Cardamom. David’s favorite flavors: Espresso Chip or Blind Love.
(A note from the reporter: A bowl of Elevated’s Cardamom Ice Cream was consumed while writing this story.)
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Jeannie McMacken can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jmcmacken@peninsuladailynews.com.
