Last April, Dave and Andy’s Homemade Ice Cream parlor announced that the store’s final day of operation would be April 28. Andy had decided to retire, and in the final week of Dave and Andy’s being open, the Oakland community came out to support him in massive numbers.
People waited in lines that wrapped around the block in hopes of getting a final taste of the ice cream. After serving the Pittsburgh community for 40 years, the closure came as a shock to many.
Over the summer, however, the ice cream shop changed hands to a new owner, the Kasten family, who reopened the business in September.
Sarah Kasten, a junior at the University of Pittsburgh studying media and professional communications, talked with the Tartan about what reopening Dave and Andy’s with her family was like.
“We are family friends with the owners,” Kasten said. “My uncle actually worked at the store in college and became really good friends with Andy. After it closed, there was kind of some talk about taking it over and we just feel lucky enough for Andy and Joe to trust us to carry on their legacy. So it kind of wasn’t in the plan, but worked out, and it’s been going great so far.”
Renovations and preparations to reopen started in July. The only major change customers may notice is a fresh coat of paint on the walls.
“We worked with three of the previous employees of the team at Dave and Andy’s that taught us how to make all the ice cream and do the same recipes,” Kasten said, on what it has been like to take over a business with her family. “We’re really lucky. It’s just me, my mom, and my dad. So we originally were really close, but this experience has definitely brought us closer together,” Kasten said. “We all really do work well together, so that’s just been a blessing.”
The Kasten family is from Pittsburgh, so the initial closing announcement was a heartbreaking thing for them to learn about. “My parents’ first date was at the store, and so when they found out, it was pretty sad for them, but more just, like, a shock that we didn’t know — we didn’t see it coming.”
During the time spent working to reopen the store, Kasten talked about how “that entire time, we had people stopping in, asking if they could help, asking when the opening date was, and so that was just really reassuring that whole time that we just had a whole community from Pitt and Oakland. Everyone was so supportive, thanking us, reaching out, and just, it’s been amazing. I don’t think that would could have done it without the support of everyone.”
Kasten talked about what it has been like to balance Dave and Andy’s while being a student at Pitt. “It’s hard because it is, you know, like a baby to you. When you’re not there, it’s kind of all you’re thinking about, so as soon as I’m done with my classes or doing schoolwork, I head over there.”
One of the things that Kasten has enjoyed most about working at Dave and Andy’s has been meeting all of the people and regular customers that stop by.
“It’s so exciting to hear everybody’s stories because everyone has a story for it,” she said. “A lot of people that have met their spouse there, had their first date there, or have been going there ever since they were a kid. It’s been really exciting to just hear everyone’s stories and getting to meet so many new people and learn about what it means to them.”
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