‘Just the beginning': Handel's gets ready to turn 80
Read next: WKBN announces 2025 Remarkable Women winner
Handel's Ice Cream will turn 80 years old in July. The beloved ice cream shop started when Alice Handel began making ice cream out of her Youngstown home in 1945. What was once just a small corner ice cream shop near the intersection of Market Street and Midlothian Boulevard in Youngstown is now a national brand.
A group gathered at Handel's Creekside location in Boardman on Tuesday with WKBN to film segments for their 80th-anniversary campaign. One of those in the group was Leonard Fisher, president and chairman of Handel's Homemade Ice Cream, who says the company is showing no signs of stopping.
'I've been associated since 1985 when I first purchased Handel's, and we had the one location on the south side of Youngstown,' said Fisher. 'It has grown from one location in 1985 to approximately 155 locations now coast to coast. By the end of the year, we should have 170 locations.'
When Fisher started, he says he knew the brand was definitely going to expand because it was such a loved product locally.
'Well, actually, this is just the beginning. I would say by the end of 2027, we should have 235 locations,' said Fisher. 'And then from there we're going to grow exponentially because everybody loves our product. It's homemade, made fresh on the premises. People love it.'
Handel's Ice Cream will celebrate its 80th anniversary in July, and while Fisher says what they're planning for the big day is still a surprise, he credits the success of 80 years back to the woman who started it all.
'It all goes back to Alice Handel. You know, she started making ice cream one batch at a time, using strawberries from her own backyard. She had one machine making two quarts at a time,' said Fisher. 'She loved the product. She loved the community. She actually loved what she was doing. And when I met her, she said, 'Lenny, do me one favor. Don't ever change anything.' And I never did. It's just a great brand, a great community. Without Youngstown, we wouldn't be where we are today. It's a community ice cream that has grown to be a national brand.'
Locally, Handel's has locations in Poland, Canfield, Boardman, Youngstown, Austintown, Liberty, Columbiana, Niles, and Hermitage. To learn more, visit HandelsIceCream.com.
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