On North Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue, Fentons Creamery in its 130th year

The small business has survived many challenges and is still feeling ripple effects from COVID-19 pandemic measures.

People battered and bewildered during the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic valued first responders who delivered critical care and supplies.

As months of sporadic lockdowns and public health safety mandates wore on, customers devoted energy and resources to supporting close-to-home small businesses. They treasured online ordering, digital payment, touch-less curbside pickup and delivery services. Establishments like Fentons Creamery on North Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue limped along despite revenue dropping precipitously after the government officially declared the pandemic in March 2020.

“We went from 100 miles an hour to 60 to 5,” said Fentons owner Scott Whidden. “I’m almost at my 40-year mark in the world of ice cream, and this year Fentons is marking its 130-year anniversary. In my time alone, many challenges have occurred, but all of them until COVID were bookmark-able. You had 9-11, from which you could measure the recovery. Then the recession of 2008 to 2013. But COVID is different because we’re still having effects.”

Whidden says at The Nut Tree, the company’s Vacaville creamery in Solano County, they saw the coming tidal wave in February 2020, when Diamond Princess Cruise evacuees were flown to the nearby Travis Air Force Base.

“We started to see cases in Solano County because they didn’t have the medical staff isolated from the passengers,” Whidden said. “We heard concerns from guests about not wanting to be in Solano County. Then when Oakland let the ship come in and dock at the Port Oakland, every news station picked it up.

“It was like a hazmat with the helicopters. People began to avoid Oakland. The firsthand impact rolled forward. We were on daily or weekly updates. The health departments were the czars and declared the shutdowns, which were disastrous.”

Whidden and Fentons employees are “fatigued from trying to bring joy and hospitality to people in a tortured time,” he acknowledges. He attributes their energy for rebuilding to “the human spirit and Fentons’ 130 years of fortitude.” About 30 longtime staff departed during the pandemic and for a number of different reasons will not return. In today’s postpandemic, high-tech, digitize-anything world, the creamery is low-tech and high-touch. The loss of the uniquely creative presence of servers who had been with the company for decades is felt by everyone, not just customers.

“Fentons’ history is something I and my family cherish and steward carefully, so we’re just trying to regain our balance, regain the ability to serve the public with open embrace. We’re finally moving past fear, so that’s a good thing.”

The road past fear and loss has not been exactly smooth. Crime along Piedmont Avenue, near Oakland’s border with the city of Piedmont, Oakland’s Montclair district and other hills areas, has absolutely had an impact. In September 2023, for example, two Fentons workers were assaulted in broad daylight during a car burglary.

“There was a surge of lawlessness that started with outside gangs coming in last spring (2023),” Whidden says, “But In the last three months, we’ve seen a lessening. Outside law enforcement and CHP have come in, and that has been great. You know, businesses closing because of crime is a real thing.”

The company has taken countermeasures, adding layers of security with guard patrols and a controlled entrance to the parking lot. Signs posted remind people to not leave packages visible in their vehicles and about a community watch program established with other merchants in the neighborhood.

The loss of the Oakland Athletics with the team’s planned move to West Sacramento and eventually Las Vegas has caused mixed reactions at Fentons, which has historically been a strong supporter. Special community benefit events and signature ice cream dishes have been created and dedicated to the team.

“We’re mourning the loss and adapting. Even before the move, we saw a decline from a loyal dedicated fan base that feels like one with the team to a discouraged base that feels ownership was going to move the A’s,” Whidden said. “As a result, our connection to them dissipated as the fans felt betrayed. It was a 100-watt lightbulb at one point, but it’s no longer brightly burning.

“We’re listening to what the community is saying, so we’ll adapt to what’s important to them. We’ll keep supporting them in Solano County at the Nut Tree. If a sports team or other entity comes in here and is interesting to the community, we’ll build an ice cream event around them. The community we serve is like a big, open living room, and what’s good for them is what’s good for Fentons.”

One thing almost everyone will agree is good for all is the upcoming 15th anniversary of “Up,” Pixar’s 2009 movie that included a major nod to Fentons. In a final scene, the characters of Russell and Carl slurp ice cream cones on a bench in front of an animated rendition of the shop.

“We’re celebrating with the ‘Paradise Falls Sundae,’ made with their favorite Butter Brickle and chocolate flavors,” Whidden said. “We’d never been prominent or received national attention until we were in ‘Up,’ and visiting us became like an Easter egg hunt for people from all over the world.”

The shop is also not resting on its historical laurels. The drive to create new flavors with new ingredients is robust. A riff on the classic Neapolitan ice cream is being tested, as are ice creams and sorbets made with alternative, nondairy, plant-based ingredients like oatmeal, almonds, cashews and coconut. Whidden said a new combo suggested by a longtime customer is “Swiss Milk Chocolate meets Heath Bar.”

“We’re like bartenders,” he said. “He had it made and brought it to me to taste. I tested it with focus groups, and they like the smooth flavor of malted milk base with the crunch of chocolate-covered toffee.

“It’s dynamic, three-dimensional, so we’re going beyond our stick-with-the-usual to try something new. What makes me most optimistic is people are coming back to laugh, celebrate life, be in the community. That’s what we do best and have been doing for 130 years.”

Lou Fancher is a freelance writer. Reach her at lou@johnsonandfancher.com.