When Josh Freund took his girlfriend Shirlena on a date to Port Townsend’s iconic Elevated Ice Cream in 1990, neither dreamed they’d eventually hold the keys to the popular shop.

Fast-forward 30 years, and the couple and their eight children, ages 2 to 19, have relocated to the town Josh called home as a teenager; the sale of the ice cream shop and candy store was finalized mid-month.

“We’re a little nervous,” Shirlena admitted. “But excited. We feel we’re the right fit. It’ll get easier.”

For the record, they plan to make no changes in the immediate future. Same employees, same flavors, same atmosphere. The couple wants people to cherish the memories — and build more — they’ve created over the years in what has been called a friendly family space, an icon.

It’s the memory-creating that makes Elevated what it is, said now-former owner Julie McCulloch.

People the world over know the shop. The McCullochs have shipped containers of ice cream, on dry ice, to former Port Townsend residents in Maine for a funeral. They’ve had wedding parties stop in. Birthday parties, anniversaries, soccer victories, first dates — the store has hosted it all.

Julie recalled the story of a woman who brought her elderly mother to Port Townsend and came to Elevated one evening. There, her mother ran into a next-door neighbor from Portland she hadn’t seen in 10 years. The following evening, she ran into a college roommate from Swarthmore College.

“What are the odds of that?” Julie said. “Serendipity.”

That’s the je ne sais quoi that makes Elevated what it is.

Becoming Elevated

Elevated’s humble beginnings were at Madison and Water streets, with Julie and three siblings dishing out ice cream from inside a dilapidated antique elevator car — hence the name of the operation.

The summer gig was popular enough though that, the next spring her husband, David, joined them and they relocated behind what is now Pippa’s Real Tea.

“People had to go down the alley, across the courtyard, up the steps, to the end of the deck to the door,” Julie said. “But people found us. We knew it would work. People would stand in line in the rain in January because there was no place else to get scoops of ice cream.”

They started making their own that year, mentored by family friend Norm Glover of Seattle, who had been creating delectable ice cream for four decades. And they went year-round.

In 1980, they moved into the current building — and two years later, the ferry that dropped off tourists right at their doorstep was relocated to the other end of Water Street. They didn’t know how that would affect business.

It ended up working out for the better because the shop no longer saw a surge of ferry customers flood through the doors, but a steady stream of people as they meandered north along Water Street. Many said they saw others with ice cream cones and had to get one themselves: Business grew by scoops and cones.

In 1990, they built an addition. In 1997, they bought the space next door and opened a candy store.

The offerings have grown as well, with at least 20 flavors of ice cream, seasonal specialties, fudge, candy, sherbets and Italian ices.

“The business evolved around flavors as they became popular,” David said. “And one gives testament to our base: sweet cream. It’s the base ingredients with no flavoring. It’s delicious.”

They’re open to try other flavors — a root beer float with licorice Julie thought would be horrid was surprisingly delectable. Many, such as pumpkin, cherry, and an amaretto hazelnut, are seasonal. Others have morphed, such as a then-popular concoction called New York made with maraschino cherries with far too much red dye, into Black Forest.

Julie’s favorite is cardamom, Josh’s is salted chocolate caramel swirl, Shirlena’s is Swiss orange chocolate chip — the most sought after among customers — and David is partial to ginger or espresso chip or Blind Love, the darkest richest chocolate they offer.

“Or marionberry sherbet,” he added. “Or mango ice. No. Blind Love with espresso chip — with hot fudge.”

“They have a library of flavors,” Josh said. “We’ll use the tried and true.”

“Maybe add a cheesecake in December,” Shirlena added. “Or experiment with fudge.”

The essence of Elevated

“We started Elevated, but Elevated ‘became’ Elevated,” David said. “The customers who were employees in their teenage years were bringing in their grandkids.”

“That’s when I knew it was time to start thinking about retiring,” Julie said with a laugh. “People younger than me, bringing in grandkids?”

But they needed the perfect buyer. They refused to consider anyone from ‘outside’ who wanted to change what they’d built as a community gathering spot.

“Various people were interested,” Julie said. “None meshed. It has to be right for both.”

When they saw the business listed, the Freunds wrote a letter of interest.

“It was part of my childhood,” Josh said. “I have memories of coming to Elevated when we visited, when the ferry landed here. It’s one of the places that’s stayed and didn’t change.”

“It had the right tone,” Julie said of the letter. “They knew Elevated from personal experience — and not just one occasion, but many — they have family in Port Townsend, Sequim, Port Hadlock and a passion and enthusiasm for taking it on.”

The only plans the Freunds have is to dust off an old cart for summer events and get more ice cream into local grocery stores and restaurants.

“We want to be part of this community,” Shirlena said. “We really want the children to have the small-town experience. This is a dream come true.”

“Our children are very happy about this business,” she noted. “They’ve been asking if they can have ice cream every day. I said no, but we will be eating a lot more ice cream.”

“We still won’t let them in the candy store,” Josh noted.

The McCullochs plan to divert their energies to other interests: family, gardening, household projects and the like.

“We’ve been at this 42 years,” David said. “We’re so happy we found the perfect buyers.”