Commercial Realty arranges sale of Sundae School to former employees

Dennis, MA Three former Sundae School summer employees have put together a partnership to purchase both Sundae School Homemade Ice Cream locations in Dennisport and Harwich Port on Cape Cod. As teenagers, Michelle White, Michael Kelly and Robert DeMarco worked summers together at Sundae School. Demarco and Kelly are longtime friends and business partners at Campanelli. White continued to work at Sundae School throughout the summers while working at the Boston College Educational Resource Center for 27 years. After retiring from BC, White returned to Sundae School full-time as the manager and continues to hold the position today. White will become the operating partner in this new venture, “I am excited and honored to be part of the team that is continuing on the Sundae School legacy and tradition….Paul and Andrea have been great friends and mentors for over four decades and I sincerely hope they enjoy their well-deserved retirement.” 

This deal was financed by Cambridge Savings Bank, a local community bank with more than $6 billion in assets. Cambridge Savings Bank has been a valued lending relationship for Kelly, DeMarco and Campanelli spanning many years and transactions. 

Coordinating the sale was Brad Kuhrtz and Craig Campbell, both of Commercial Realty Advisors. With their expertise and dedication, they ensured a seamless transition for both the seller and the buyer. Kuhrtz and Campbell combined their strengths to meet the unique needs of all parties involved.

Founded in 1976 by schoolteacher Paul Endres and his wife Andrea, Sundae School has been making premium, homemade ice cream five gallons at a time for forty-seven years. Living in Milton at the time and looking to spend summers on Cape Cod, the Endres’ began with the goal to make high-quality ice cream using the freshest local ingredients. Their mixture of fresh milk, cream and sugar combined with only the best ingredients for flavoring; pure Madagascar vanilla extract, real chocolate chips, fresh fruit, and nuts and topped with fresh whipped cream became so popular, the Endres’ decided to relocate to the Cape full time and cousins, aunts, uncles and friends were all recruited. When their children were old enough, all five worked in the business with son, Michael, becoming the right-hand man managing the Harwich Port store for many years. Many of the grandchildren could be found working at both locations over the summers. 

The family traditions grew among the employees as well with many sets of siblings and second-generation scoopers working together and developing lifelong friendships as it happened with the new owners. The ice cream traditions flourished on both sides of the counter with the repeat visits of many long-time customers who are greeted like old friends, though always happy to meet new customers and win them over with a sundae of fresh fruit or hot fudge, real whipped cream and a fresh cherry. The new owners will keep all the traditions of the first 47 years and will build on them to make the future Sundae School even better. 

In May of 1978, Sundae School moved into the renovated Wixon Barn in Dennisport. Nathaniel Wixon was a well-respected fisherman and used the barn to dry and store fishing net. Wanting to stay true to the history of the barn as well as to quaint Cape Cod the Endres’ mindfully created an old-fashioned ice cream parlor that would bring back memories of the past while inspiring the creation of new ones. 

Over 100 years old, the marble soda fountain was sourced from the Parkway Pharmacy in Milton and the ice cream parlor is filled with nostalgic memorabilia. As demand for Sundae School’s premium ice cream grew, a second location in Harwich Port opened in May of 1998. Growth continued through the year-round sale of pre-packed quarts at Ring Brothers Market in South Dennis, Dennis Public Market in Dennis, and multiple Cape restaurants and venues. 

In 2021, Sundae School won WBZ Boston’s “Ice Cream Social” contest, declaring their homemade ice cream “the ultimate favorite” statewide. In 2009, Sundae School was featured on Samantha Brown’s “Great Weekends” on the Travel Channel. Throughout the years, Sundae School has been recognized in numerous publications such as USA Today, Yankee Magazine, Cape Cod Life, Food and Wine, The Boston Globe, Martha Stewart Living, The Boston Herald, The Cape Cod Times, “The Very Best Ice Cream” and “Where to Find It.” 

 “I extend my best wishes to Paul and Andrea on their well-deserved retirement,” said Campbell. “I commend the Endres family for their unwavering dedication to quality and community over the years, which has solidified Sundae School’s position as a beloved local institution,” said Kuhrtz.