We’ve been worried about White Mountain Creamery in recent weeks, with good reason as it turns out. First came rumblings of financial troubles, with kids looking to get paid for their work. Then a sign on the locked door said a family emergency was keeping the shop closed. The next sign claimed renovations were to blame. Finally, the sign we dreaded came: “White Mountain Out of Business.”
So what happened to this much-loved local institution that’s been a part of Wellesley’s ice cream scene since 1985? Could be that it was a case of good old-fashioned market saturation. We remember the days when residents used to face off over which of the three ice cream shops in town was better: Truly Yogurt, Brigham’s or White Mountain. Likely, the owners of White Mountain remember those days of limited competition fondly as well, given that Wellesley now has multiple frozen treat offerings to choose from, all within a not unreasonable walk of each other — Truly Yogurt, JP Licks, Baskin-Robbins, Pinkberry, and Whole Foods staff all await, scoopers in hand.
We’ll miss the ease of finishing up at Old School Pizza and hopping right over to White Mountain on warm summer evenings. Thanks for participating in the Cone Crawl, White Mountain. Thanks for the White Mountain sundae, a mountain of ice cream and toppings if ever there was one. For those who can abide only White Mountain ice cream, there is still a location in Chestnut Hill, if you don’t mind the drive.
Thanks to readers Alicia and her sharp-eyed brother for helping us get the scoop on this one.