Hartford, WI – After 15 years in the ice cream business Ray and Carrie Stelzer, owners of Scoop DeVille, are preparing to move on. The couple are making the announcement on WashingtonCountyInsider.com via Wendy Wendorf and Homestead Realtythat their business and building are for sale.
“We will continue to be open for business while the sale is underway,” said Carrie. “But we made the difficult decision because we have a lot of family including eight grandchildren, they’re very important to us and we want to spend time with them while they’re still young.”
The sale includes the building, 65 N. Main Street, which features three floors and four apartment rentals. The business is also being sold and that includes all the high-end equipment including an Emery Thompson Batch Freezer, which is described as the Cadillac of freezers.
Originally from Beaver Dam, the Stelzers were familiar with Hartford having participated in events while selling their cinnamon-roasted nut. While exploring the area, the couple came upon the building previously home to Central Drugs.
In 2009 the remodel began; fate stepped in as contractors uncovered a 1950’s style red-and-white checked floor, and Carrie managed to acquire a soda fountain and jukebox from a store that was closing in Illinois.
Scoop DeVille will remain open for business while the property is listed.
February 12, 2024 – Hartford, WI – For the first time in the 13-year history of Scoop DeVille in Hartford a family of three knocked down a hat trick with the sign for “Free scoop if your first name is…” “We considered it breaking news in a small-town fashion,” laughed mom Danielle Ries.
It was Friday afternoon when word spread that the names on the Free Scoop sign were Chad, Brianna, and Elizabeth.
“Our family was very excited to learn that 3 of us won free ice cream on the same day!! They told us that this has never happened before. Thank you, Scoop DeVille, we love your ice cream!! The Ries Family
Danielle said her phone started blowing up a little after 2 p.m. on Friday. “Several friends texted me a picture of the sign and I texted it to my husband (Chad),” she said.
Danielle said she “was amazed when I saw it.”
“Instantly we decided we were going for ice cream after dinner,” she said.
Chad and Elizabeth ordered dark chocolate chocolate chip and Brianna got mocha.
While no one knows the odds of this happening Carrie Stelzer, owner of Scoop DeVille with husband Ray said, in the 13 years they’ve been posting the names on the sign, this is the first time someone matched all 3 names in one family.
The Ries’s felt so lucky, they went out and bought 3 lottery tickets.
The Ries family might be lucky enough to have lightning strike twice as there are 3 more in the family including daughters Josie, Erin and mom Danielle.
The Stelzer’s started doing the Free Scoop name board as a way to help the community beat the winter doldrums. It has been a HUGE success on their social media, drawing hundreds of responses with each post.
Scoop DeVille is a hometown ice cream parlor with an old-fashioned feel featuring a soda fountain, neon lighting, and homemade waffle cones. Staff dress in 50’s era white collared pressed shirts and aprons along with crisp white hats with red piping. It’s a family business that has become a fixture on Main Street in downtown Hartford, WI. If you stop, be sure to ask Ray to whip up a chocolate soda or phosphate.
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Nothing beats two scoops of Scoop DeVille!
I can’t seem to find a listing anywhere on her website
Give her a call. I will get the full listing later today.