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Business & Tech

Back in the Family

The former owner of Chandler's Old Fashioned Ice Cream is back to making the ice cream Chandler's is well known for.

Chandler’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream

Owner: Spiros Athanas

Since: 1980s

Since 1934, Peabody locals, and those from neighboring communities, have flocked to for its delicious homemade frozen treats. But when Chandler’s closed down after a fire in 2003, many loyal customers thought it was the end of an era. When the shop hadn’t re-opened by the fourth year, everyone had all but written it off.

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The business changed hands for a short time in 2008, but since 2010 Spiros Athanas, whose mother purchased the business from the Chandler family in the mid-1980s, has been at the helm and things are back on track. Chandler’s has seen something of a re-birth with updates inside and out; the menu, however, is still the same.

If it’s not broken, don’t fix it

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The first thing Athanas did to set the old family business aright after buying it back was to return the old ice cream maker and soda fountain to their rightful spots. Both had been removed for a time while the new owner tried his hand at the ice cream biz.

“We brought it back to what it was before,” Athanas said. “The ice cream machine is over seventy years old and works better than the new ones, and makes better ice cream.”

Athanas, who semi-retired from the real estate business to run the shop, explains: "For me, I'm learning the business. My mom taught me how to make the ice cream and we use all her old recipes that people love — that’s the most important part!”

Athanas’ mother couldn’t be more thrilled, according to her son.

“We were only the second owners, and this was her baby, so she’s happy it’s back in the family,” Athanas said. 

Back to business

Longtime employee Karen Kiersey contends she’s never heard one complaint, and she doesn’t expect one.

“We really try to make our customers happy, and help them out if they can’t decide on a flavor. Customers can try anything out before they buy it,” she said.

She added with a chuckle: “Really, the only thing people say is the size of the ice cream is too big. I tell them that’s not a ‘problem.’ They always come back, and that’s a good thing.”

According to Kiersey, besides the usual hot fudge sundaes and banana splits, fresh fruit smoothies have been big sellers this summer.

“Banana ice cream with fresh fruit is really popular, but yesterday a customer got pineapple with vanilla soft serve. We made a little extra to taste it and it was really good,” she said.

Just like back in the day, all the hard ice cream flavors are made in-house. Athanas even has his sons bake up fresh Toll House cookies for the Toll House cookie ice cream. As for his signature flavor? “Almond Joy, it’s the best,” Athanas says with a smile.

In the future, Athanas is considering expanding into frozen desserts and cakes, but for now is focused on the task at hand.

“For now I want to concentrate on the most important thing: the ice cream,” he said.

You can find at 86 Andover St. in Peabody.

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