Bye Bye Blondie's, Creamery Takes Over

By Liz Wassman

When students returned to school this year, many were confused to see wood paneling covering the windows of the popular Blondie's Frozen Yogurt & Ice Cream near Safeway.
Blondie's has been a Santa Clara staple since it opened five years ago. On "Dollar-Scoop Mondays," it was not unusual to see a line out the door as Residential Learning Communities bonded over ice cream and frozen yogurt.

The shop was opened by Santa Clara alumnus and self-proclaimed ice cream fanatic Kelley Lund in 2007. After running the shop for five years, Lund decided to sell to a regular patron, Santa Clara local Chris Leahy.

"I am sad to be leaving all the great people that I have met over the years, but very happy with the sale and what is to come," said Lund.

Lund had joked with Leahy about selling the shop to him over the years, and so when the time came, it worked out well.

The new owner Leahy works in the construction industry but has been making ice cream as a hobby for about 18 years. He started hosting ice cream socials for friends, and what started as a couple batches of ice cream quickly escalated. Leahy reports that, "This summer, 16 summers later, I made close to 40 gallons, 26 flavors, and over 200 people came to enjoy an afternoon of ice cream and sundaes."

The business will open under the name Mission City Creamery, hopefully by mid-October. Mission City Creamery will not have the frozen yogurt options that Blondie's had, but all the ice cream will be homemade daily with a viewing window to see the process.

The layout of the store will change to include a counter with stools and a 20-foot banquette, as well as free Wi-Fi.

"I'm sad to see Blondie's closing," said senior Katie Troxell. "I had fun memories there from freshman year floor-bonding, but I'm excited to see the new fifties-style place,"
Santa Clara students eagerly await a new locale close to campus for sweet treats.

Contact Liz Wassmann at EWassmann@scu.edu or call (408) 554- 4849.