Brooklyn's Van Leeuwen Ice Cream To Open On Upper East Side

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — An "artisan" ice cream store founded in Brooklyn will open soon on the Upper East Side, the real estate firm that brokered the lease announced.

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream has secured a 10-year lease for an 800-square-foot space on Second Avenue between East 84th and 85th streets, according to real estate firm Lee & Associates NYC. The lease was arranged by Jaime Schultz a managing director at the firm.

"Brooklyn as a brand is desirable and so are Brooklyn-based tenants," Schultz, who has been named the master broker for Van Leeuwen Ice Cream’s nationwide expansion, said in a statement. "All of the product is made from scratch in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood and the attention-to-detail is evident in the lines that stretch out the door at every location that’s opened."

The store is expected to open in the summer of 2018, Schultz said.

The Upper East Side store is the latest expansion for Van Leeuwen, which started out as a single ice cream truck, Schultz said. The company is also opening stores in SoHo, Prospect Heights and on the Upper West Side. Van Leeuwen plans to expand its brand to 1,000 stores nationwide and by the end of this year plans on establishing its wholesale presence on places as far off as Texas, Florida and the Rocky Mountain region, according to a press release.

Van Leeuwen serves up both vegan and dairy flavors made with simple ingredients. The dairy flavors are made of milk, cream, sugar and egg yolks whereas the vegan flavors are made of cashew milk, coconut milk, extra virgin coconut oil, sugar, cocoa butter and carob bean, according to the business' website.

"Van Leeuwen Classic and Vegan ice creams are made with just a handful of fresh ingredients. Each flavor is a celebration of some of the world's best artisan producers and farmers both local and from around the world," the website reads.

Photo by Google Maps street view