Klavon's Ice Cream Parlor in Strip District is for sale
Wanna buy an ice cream shop?
Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor in the Strip District is for sale for $1.2 million. “Everything is laid out perfectly for the next owner,” owner Jacob Hanchar said on Monday. “We’ve put so much into Klavon’s that it’s like the perfect softball pitch right down the middle for them to hit a home run and be successful.”
Hanchar, of Sharpsburg, said his other business, Digital Dream Labs, needs his full attention. The technology robotics company based in East Liberty continues to grow and now has 45 employees.
“I’m not able to give the shop the attention deserves,” he said. “The shop’s getting shortchanged, and that’s not fair to Pittsburgh or Klavon’s.”
Hanchar said the new owner may keep the name, which Hanchar owns. He believes that would be a good thing because Klavon’s is well known.
“We have built up the brand,” said Hanchar, who said he has received several inquiries.
He said he wanted to do this now so the new owners can be in place by summer for the height of ice cream season.
He and his wife, Desiree, purchased the business in June 2013 and opened a month later. They lost money because it opened late in the summer. That loss can be hard to overcome, he said.
In March 2021, Klavon’s raised workers’ pay, garnering national attention.
The shop on Penn Avenue will continue operating until Hanchar can find a new owner. The building is for sale as well. A buyer doesn’t necessarily have to buy both the business and the building.
“We had record sales in 2019,” said Hanchar. “Then 2020 and the pandemic kicked our butt and cut our revenue in half. In 2022, I expect us to get back to 2019 levels.”
Klavon’s doesn’t just serve locals; it’s a destination, he said. People come from all over the country. He said the staff, customers and the city are the best.
“It’s a Pittsburgh icon, a Pittsburgh institution,” he said. “We make our own ice cream. I think we have the best in the city. The other places don’t do the old-fashioned hard ice cream, the pecan balls, the sundaes, the amazing decadence that we do.”
James and Mary Klavon first opened Klavon’s in 1923 as a neighborhood apothecary and ice cream shop.
The store closed in 1979.
It was reopened in 1999 by the couple’s eight grandchildren and a cousin. They transformed the space into an ice cream parlor, preserving some of the original features.
“I’ve enjoyed all of it,” Hanchar said. “I think it’s been a good ride. It’s bittersweet.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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