CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Sandy’s Frozen Whip, an ice cream staple on the East Side of Cleveland, is closed and has been put up for sale by the original owners after more than 50 years of business.

Owner Louis Clernt said the closure came after he experienced recent health problems, including throat cancer, macular degeneration and Parkinson’s Disease. Up until last year, Clernt said, he had been working in the shop regularly in the summers, and spent his winters living in Florida, where he currently resides.

“I love the business, and I was still there working seven days a week,” he said. “I really wanted to stay there until I died.”

Sandy’s closed up shop at the end of its 2019 season, Clernt said. The business, located at 17635 Lakeshore Boulevard, is currently for sale.

Clernt hopes that an interested buyer will keep the ice cream shop’s name and continue with his business for years to come.

Clernt started running the stand in 1969, purchasing it from a previous owner. Before Clernt bought Sandy’s, the shop had been operated by several other owners -- at one point, it was a coffee and cake shop, Clernt said.

When Clernt purchased the shop, he built an addition and expanded its menu, serving up scoops of ice cream, footlong hot dogs and other treats in the summer. The stand is particularly well known for its popular Euclid Beach Park strawberry custard.

In the offseason, Sandy’s would open up for different offerings around Halloween and Christmas.

“It was a lot of fun, especially at pumpkin time,” Clernt said. “The one room, we’d make into a haunted house and little kids would get a kick out of that. Christmas tree time was nice; families would come pick out their Christmas tree, and we’d have hot chocolate and homemade cookies.”

As the years went by, Clernt limited some of Sandy’s seasonal activities and focused on summertime food and treats. Last year marked his final season operating Sandy’s.

The business owner said he’ll miss the positivity he experienced working behind the counter.

“The neighborhood was good; they hate to see me go,” Clernt said. “Being in the ice cream business, you’ve got to be in a good mood eating ice cream. It was nice dealing with people like that.”

Editor’s note: The story has been updated to reflect that Clernt took over Sandy’s operations in 1969, and to reflect that Clernt has Parkinson’s Disease.