VETERAN AND HIS WIFE SERVE UP HOMEMADE ICE CREAM, SENSE OF COMMUNITY IN TWO SUNDAE SCOOP LOCATIONS
By Andi Petrini
Ice cream is a community. At least it is for Philip and Sibs Harrell, owners of Sundae Scoop: The Community Creamery in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. The couple, who have been married for 14 years, met in South Korea. Philip was stationed there while in the Army and Sibs, who is from South Africa, was teaching. Several moves later, the couple and their children, ages 10 and 12, have put down roots in Hampton Roads. Philip also has a 17-year-old daughter in Ohio, and his mother is nearby in Greenville, N.C.
The Harrells and their staff not only serve up homemade ice cream, they create welcoming third-space environments and pride themselves on providing exceptional customer service.
“It’s that third space for people to hang out,” Philip said. “There’s no pressure.…It’s a place where everyone can get exactly what they want and be happy. There’s a flavor for everybody here. Our ice cream represents the community.”
That includes creating special-requested flavors for catering and large community events, such as the Charter to Chesapeake at Battlefield Park in June, where Sundae Scoop presented red-white-and-blue themed treats in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. The Harrells and Sundae Scoop often are regulars at Independence Day events.
“We always get an invitation on the Fourth of July to go to a community,” Philip said. “It’s always a great time.”
Community representation also is reflected in their stores’ cases. Kempsville’s Filipino community requested Ube ice cream, made from the Philippines’ purple yam, which is carried in both locations.
Growing the Business
Philip said he knew he was ready to make the jump in opening his own business but didn’t know how—or in what industry at first. The Harrells considered a coffee house, but “the more we started digging into it during COVID, only a few industries were up. Ice cream was the best one based on how we carry ourselves,” Philip said. Sundae Scoop in Kempsville opened in 2021. It was an investment from the start, beginning with learning the science behind making quality ice cream. Philip attended Scoop School in Missouri for “a four-day crash course in ice cream.” He and Sibs also attended a shorter course at PreGel in Charlotte, N.C.
“It was a really daunting thing to jump both feet in,” Sibs said. “Going to [a] scoop school and seeing it in real life did make me feel more comfortable.”
The Harrells said when Virginia Beach’s store was successful, they knew they had the capacity to grow. They also wanted to ensure they could hire as many good employees as they could, which also necessitated a second location. Chesapeake’s store opened in April 2025.
“I always say that I can only grow as big as I have the people to grow with, and we couldn’t fit any more good people [in Kempsville],” Philip said. “We like providing a good first job for a lot of people. We needed a second location to do that. Which we have; we have a good crop of kids here as well. The community has been great to us….This shop almost performs the same as our first shop. For them to be this close already, it says a lot.”
Community Building
Opening both stores has been a stabilizing factor for the Harrells. “The second we accepted this was home for us, it became home,” Philip said.” The community just accepted us, and we just started digging deeper roots.”
The Harrells also have built relationships with other local businesses, often collaborating on flavor combinations. They frequently support fellow small businesses by using them for their branding, merchandise and other items. The Harrells also helped the owners of Aux Delices in Newport News get started and refer patrons to other local shops.
“It’s a very small community, but it’s a big community as well because we’re so [geographically] spread out,” Sibs said.
And Philip says he still recruits for the military. He talks to patrons and employees who are figuring out what to do with their life and their options. He also helps veterans connect with resources to receive their benefits. Sundae Scoop offers 10% off for vets and military members on Mondays, with the discount also applied if someone in uniform comes in.
“Things like that feel good because you never know what you’re walking into when you come into an ice cream shop,” he said.
Sundae Scoop
Where: Las Gaviotas Shopping Center,
1249 Cedar Road, Suite 111, Chesapeake;
1832 Kempsville Road, Suite 113, Virginia Beach.
What: Sixteen flavors that change seasonally, plus cakes, pies, pints and more. Vegan and gluten-free options are available. Popular flavors are Cookie Monster, Cookies on Cookies, Lemon Cake and flagship Salted Caramel Butter Pecan.
Website: sundaescoopva.com
