Here’s who bought the iconic shop.

CENTERVILLE —The new owners of Four Seas Ice Cream plan to keep the range of flavors that have made the shop one of the Cape’s go-to ice cream stands.

And there are no plans to change the iconic venue, other than a little sprucing up.

Josh and Lesley McElhattan bought the iconic ice cream shop on Dec. 4 for $850,000 according to records at the Barnstable Registry of Deeds. The sale includes two parcels, one at 360 South Main where the 1,475 square foot building is located, and the other a half-acre parking lot at 214 South Main.

The first property is assessed at $584,900, while the second is assessed at $231,400.

The original asking price for the business and real estate was $3.1 million when it went on the market in March 2024. The buyers declined to give the final selling price. They spent about five months negotiating details with owners Douglas and Peggy Warren, according to Aaron Webb with Commercial Realty Advisors. Webb represented the buyers.

Chuck Carey of Carey Commercial said his company received more than 40,000 inquiries when the property and business hit the market. The McElhattans were one of the first to inquire.

“I never had a business that generated more interest than this,” Carey said on Dec. 5.

Four Seas Ice Cream:Memories and photos over the years

Like a lot of commercial property sales, the deed does not show the whole purchase price because buyers can depreciate amounts for furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) over a five-year schedule, Carey said. FF&E is considered a separate asset distinct from the building itself.

The business is a dream that the McElhattans have had for years, according to Lesley. They had been working on business plans and looking at locations before Four Seas came up for sale.

“It was incredible that it happened while we were looking,” Lesley McElhattan said on Dec. 5. “It took time for us to make everything make sense. We can’t wait to welcome people back when we’re scooping ice cream in spring.”

The new owners have been working with the Warrens for months learning the business and the most important part: making the ice cream. They plan to make no changes to the storied shop. Part of what makes it a special place is the timelessness of the tiny shop, the blue bar stools, and the menu boards that remain unchanged, Lesley McElhattan said.

“It’s memories and generations,” Doug Warren said. “Grandparents bring in their grandchildren and great- grandchildren. It’s their memories and their kids’ memories, their grandkids’ memories and it’s sharing those memories with someone that you love.”

The Warrens plan to spend their first Cape summer relaxing on the beach in 2025. They’ll turn over the management of 35 to 38 young employees and the making of close to 2,000 gallons of ice cream a week to the McElhattens.

“It’s really an honor for us to carry on the tradition of one of Cape Cod’s surviving legacies,” Josh McElhattan said. He pointed to the flavor board, noting that many listed date back to the 1930s. “It’s such a historic and meaningful thing for us to be stewards of that legacy.”