CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A local Army veteran's Virginia Beach ice cream shop quickly became a community favorite — leading to the opening of another Hampton Roads location.
Watch previous coverage: VB ice cream shop owner, Army vet hopes to inspire others
News 3 first spoke with Philip Harrell back in 2023. Before opening Sundae Scoop in the Kempsville area back in 2021, he had stints selling textbooks and GEICO homeowners insurance, as well as driving for Uber and Lyft. Then one day, he had an idea:
"Everyone who thinks about ice cream, talks about ice cream, they do it with a smile," said Harrell. ”(I) went online and I’m like, ‘how do you make ice cream?’"
From there, Harrell went to ice cream school and eventually opened his own shop. Sundae Scoop's creamy, rich ice cream is all made in-house with locally-sourced milk and cream.
Harrell just opened his second shop, located on 1249 Cedar Road in Chesapeake.
He tells News 3 he hopes other veterans can also find a fulfilling career post-military.
"Veterans sacrifice a lot. The day after I got married, I was in formation that very next day. Veterans go out to sea or they will take tours for a year or longer than that, and when they're done, they're just done. Like, it's not time to retire, but do something else, and they need that help to help transition from the military life to a civilian life," he said.
For anyone looking for a summer gig, Harrell says Sundae Scoop is still looking to hire!
