From cone to counter, this Massachusetts ice cream shop is a family affair
At a Fairhaven scoop shop, seven siblings help run a family business rooted in generations of ice cream tradition
Ice cream. I always go mint chip with chocolate sprinkles, fudge brownie, the raspberry yogurt chip, the chocolate chip. You scream and it’s my first day ever, and around here we definitely scream. Yes. Maybe even dance for ice cream. Americans don’t just like it, they’re obsessed with it. The average person devours about 20 pounds of ice cream *** year, equal to more than 40 pints of creamy goodness. And if that sounds like *** lot, just wait until you meet the families who make it their business. Ice cream, I say to all of my friends, fixes everything. Today, ice cream is *** billion dollar industry, *** summertime ritual, and the source of one fierce debate, chocolate or vanilla. Oreo cookies and cream does round out 3 of the most popular flavors. Number 2, chocolate, and coming in at number 1, vanilla. But depending on what poll you’re reading here in Massachusetts, the buzz might be all about coffee. First stop, Fair Haven, Massachusetts, home to the Ice Cream Cottage, and where we set to answer *** very important question. Is the ice cream business really as sweet as it tastes? It is *** dream come true. Colleen and Philip Martin run *** scoop shop that’s tiny in size but enormous in personality. We know people’s names, we know their orders. It’s just *** lovely neighborhood feel, you know, it’s, I love it. Every scoop comes with something you won’t find on the menu, *** family guarantee. There’s always *** family member at the window. That’s because the Martin’s 7 kids, Brendan, Declan, Alexander, Maggie, Eamon, Andrew, and JP all have *** role to play, whether they’re serving customers, stocking cones, sneaking *** taste test. Around here, ice cream is *** team sport. Homemade hot fudge, waffle. We have over 30 hard serve flavors. Coffee Oreo and peanut butter Oreo. Purple Cow is *** favorite. We have soft serve, um, the chocolate vanilla twist, but we do *** homemade coffee soft serve, um, dairy-free Dole whip. Back to that dream come true. 4 years ago we heard, I heard on the radio that all these buildings were sold, and, and I immediately like googled like who bought it. And found out who the developer was, reached out, put his phone number in the little contact form, and the guy called him right away before I could even text him to tell him what I did, like, but you just played along with it and like played along. I’m like, yes, we are interested. We are interested in that building, an easy yes, because the ice cream cottage really started here on Cape Cod with Maggie’s ice cream, and these might be the two most important customers. Customers, are you customers or are you still, we’re family, we’re customers too. We are customers. Colleen’s parents ran Maggie’s in Osterville, Hyannis, and Mashpee along with Colleen and her 5 siblings. We always kind of look back at that time and kind of we’re like, oh man, I wish we could have figured something out and done that because we have 7 kids and we would like to raise them the same way. Maggie, this kind of all started with you, right? Maggie? ice cream. Yes, yes, that started in 1986. After more than two decades in the business and watching their children grow up behind the counter, Maggie and John eventually closed the shops. But seeing the family tradition churn back to life through the next generations, well, isn’t that the cherry on top? It, it was very fulfilling. Speaking of filling, you eat ice cream every day. Pretty much, pretty much. That’s called the lucky life. I call that.
From cone to counter, this Massachusetts ice cream shop is a family affair
At a Fairhaven scoop shop, seven siblings help run a family business rooted in generations of ice cream tradition
Americans consume an average of 20 pounds of ice cream each year, making the frozen treat a summertime staple and a billion-dollar industry. But for one Massachusetts family, ice cream is about much more than what’s in the cone.At the Ice Cream Cottage in Fairhaven, owners Colleen Martin and Philip Martin have built a business centered on family. The couple’s seven children help keep the shop running, serving customers, stocking supplies and carrying on a tradition that stretches back generations.“There is always a family member at the window,” Colleen said.For Colleen, opening the Ice Cream Cottage fulfilled a lifelong dream inspired by her childhood. Her parents, Maggie and John, operated Maggie’s Ice Cream shops on Cape Cod, where Colleen and her siblings grew up working behind the counter.After Maggie’s closed following more than two decades in business, the Martins hoped to recreate that same experience for their own children. Now, they’re doing just that — one scoop at a time.And yes, there’s one perk that comes with the job.Do they eat ice cream every day?“Pretty much.”
Americans consume an average of 20 pounds of ice cream each year, making the frozen treat a summertime staple and a billion-dollar industry. But for one Massachusetts family, ice cream is about much more than what’s in the cone.
At the Ice Cream Cottage in Fairhaven, owners Colleen Martin and Philip Martin have built a business centered on family. The couple’s seven children help keep the shop running, serving customers, stocking supplies and carrying on a tradition that stretches back generations.
“There is always a family member at the window,” Colleen said.
For Colleen, opening the Ice Cream Cottage fulfilled a lifelong dream inspired by her childhood. Her parents, Maggie and John, operated Maggie’s Ice Cream shops on Cape Cod, where Colleen and her siblings grew up working behind the counter.
After Maggie’s closed following more than two decades in business, the Martins hoped to recreate that same experience for their own children. Now, they’re doing just that — one scoop at a time.
And yes, there’s one perk that comes with the job.
Do they eat ice cream every day?
“Pretty much.”
