It looks as if a Clarendon Hills institution is likely in the home stretch of its days in the village.
The Daily Scoop, an ice cream shop at 7 S. Prospect Ave., in the village’s downtown, has been a favorite gathering place for ice cream, hot dogs, candy and more, since it first opened its doors on Feb. 22, 2002. Many residents often made sure to be at The Daily Scoop when it opened for the season each year on the first weekend of March and also to get a scoop of their favorite flavor when the store was closing annually at the end of October.
This year, it appears the end of October will mark the end of The Daily Scoop at its current location, and very possible will be the end of it as a brick-and-mortar spot.
Owner Chuck Kaufman said he was unable to work out a deal that works for him, financially, with the owner of the building he leases his space from to continue beyond his current contract, which expires Oct. 31. Kaufman said he was told he lease would increase by 45%.
KDL Equities purchased the 5-11 Prospect Ave. parcel in 2022, said Colleen McCormack, of CPMM, Inc. property management company and property manager for KDL. She said just prior to closing on purchase of the property own 2022, and unbeknownst to KDL, the previous owner extended “the already below market value leases for this location with no increase in rent.”
“KDL honored the leases, even though they were significantly below market value in 2022 for this location,” McCormack said.
She said Kaufman, who signed a lease in 2021 which ends in November, requested an extension to the lease in February 2024 and negotiations were started.
With no deal being worked out, Kaufman will wrap up The Daily Scoop at 7 S. Prospect Ave. at the end of October.
“I always try to not have any product left when we close for the winter,” he said. “I’m not sure when that will be this year, but we’ll be here for Halloween with treats for the kids, even if we don’t really have any product left. If I had hot dogs left in the freezer in past years, I’d just leave them there, but I’ve got to get everything out of here this time.”
Kaufman said he isn’t sure at this point what the ice cream future holds for him.
“Someone suggested to me that I do a food truck, and I thought that was crazy,” he said. “But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I already have kind of been doing that by setting up at events and parties. That’s something I may continue doing.”
The Downers Grove resident said he’s still open to the idea of locating elsewhere in Clarendon Hills and even taking The Daily Scoop elsewhere.
“I’m always willing to consider different options,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of great kids work here over the years, and some of them come in now with their own kids. I think I’ll miss the staff we’ve had more than anything, but it’s also been great being a part of things in downtown Clarendon Hills for so many years.”
Suzanne Austin moved to Clarendon Hills about a year before The Daily Scoop opened. She and her family have been frequent customers over the years.
“It’s really sad,” she said. “Everyone loves it, and people are very upset about it. It’s 100% been a part of the community, and Chuck (Kaufman) has been a huge supporter of the sports teams in the village.”
Karen Deane, who has lived in Clarendon Hills since 2015, also is sad that The Daily Scoop likely no longer will be a part of the village’s downtown. But she had a bit of a different take.
“I’m disappointed, but it’s not the whole idea of downtown; there are other wonderful businesses in our downtown,” she said. “It’s a shame — it seems like every kid who grew up in Clarendon Hills went to some of the stores downtown, including The Daily Scoop, but it’s kind of the way of business, sometimes.”
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
