Melissa and Blake Carlile pose with their four children. The couple are the owners and franchisees of a new Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream store at 8055 Madison Ave. in Citrus Heights in the Almond Orchard Shopping Center, which is expected to open in late September. Courtesy photo

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - A delicious, cold treat is coming to Citrus Heights as a new Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream store at 8055 Madison Ave. looks to open soon in the Almond Orchard Shopping Center.

Carol Sitzenstatter, first vice president for commercial services for Ray Stone, Inc. of Sacramento, confirms the lease of a 3,500-square-foot anchor position in the plaza that faces Madison Avenue. Sitzenstatter handled the lease transaction for the landlord, Matt Goldstein, with Galleli Real estate as the tenant representative.

Blake and Melissa Carlile, owners and franchisees of the new Citrus Heights location, and five others in the Sacramento area, say they are looking for a late September opening date.

Melissa Carlile is a former teacher in the Sacramento area, turned ice cream entrepreneur, and her husband, Blake, is a firefighter with Metro Fire. Together the couple have four children, the youngest under age seven.

The Citrus Heights store will be the couple’s sixth location in six years and its largest store, she said. Together, the couple have also opened Handel's Homemade Ice Cream stores in Folsom, Roseville, Elk Grove, Natomas and Rancho Cordova.

“I’m excited to bring Handel’s Ice Cream to Citrus Heights and nearby Fair Oaks,” Melissa Carlile said.

The city boundary line between Citrus Heights and Fair Oaks is divided by Madison Avenue.

Carlile said the success of their other five stores encouraged them to consider looking for an additional location for further local expansion. A vacant 3,500-square-foot anchor space in the Almond Orchard Shopping Center fits their requirements, offering ample parking and a safe area where families can enjoy a cold, refreshing ice cream treat.

“This will be our largest store and we’re planning to include a separate area for parties and special events,” she said.

Interior construction has required the demolition of existing concrete flooring and the installation of new drainage to handle the requirements of multiple ice cream freezers, she said.

Store staff will fluctuate seasonally, Melissa Carlile said. She expects to hire up to 30 employees before the store’s opening, she said: “For many, it’s a great first-time job and a perfect job for high school students.”

As of January, Handel’s operates 125 corporate and franchise stores in 12 states.

A Handel’s Ice Cream franchise typically involves the establishment and general operation of a retail ice cream parlor, according to the company. Approximate start-up costs range from $311,000 to $936,000, according to the company with an initial franchise fee of $50,000.

Handel’s Ice Cream originated in Youngstown, Ohio and is continuing to open franchise locations across the West.

According to the company, Handel’s features almost 50 different flavors of ice cream that are made fresh daily by hand in all its stores. The ice creamery began in 1945 with Alice Handel's signature strawberry ice cream recipe.

Handel’s is known for its four-scoop ice cream sampler, piled-high three-scoop cones, milkshakes and a wide range of seasonal and popular ice cream flavors that is typically available for take-out by the scoop, in a bowl, a sundae or cookie sandwich, on a cone or in a pint.

The company has grown from a local favorite on the East Coast to a national brand with locations opening across the country. The company continues to use Alice Handel’s original methods and recipes.

“The space where Handel’s Ice Cream will open was previously filled by a commercial office tenant and that space had been vacant for some time,” Sitzenstatter said. “Interior construction work only recently has started, so it’s too early to know their opening date.”

Miller’s Ace Hardware, also located in the plaza nearby, adjacent to the Vitalant blood donation center, recently celebrated its first anniversary of business in the plaza.

Physical improvements to the Almond Orchard Shopping Center are continuing, with the addition of new monument signage, new flags and fresh landscaping throughout the shopping plaza, Sitzenstatter said.

“We continue to actively market the few spaces which are available in the Almond Orchard Plaza, and we are targeting nail salons and more restaurants to compliment Fabians Italian Bistro & Bar, Pastry Heaven Bakery, Kork Sips & Snacks, El Balcon Taqueria and Del’s Pizza, which are located here,” Sitzenstatter said.

Said Melissa Carlile, “The Handel’s Ice Cream store will be a great new addition to The Almond Orchard Plaza which is a very family and community-focused center.”