Here’s a scoop you won’t get anywhere else — the Dari-Bee is officially back; led by new owners excited to serve up sweet treats and memories for all, just as the shop has done for over 60 years.

Twice in the past couple years the Bullocks Point Avenue staple had gone on the market, first in February of 2024. The shop ultimately reopened that summer, only to eventually go back onto the market in the past year.

According to the city’s property assessment database, the 448-square-foot property ultimately sold for $150,000 on March 4, 2026.

The buyers are Broderick “Brody” Santilli and his father, Rich. Natives of Lincoln, RI, Brody said in a recent interview that purchasing the ice cream shop was a bit of a childhood dream come true.

“Growing up in Lincoln I played baseball, and my dad and I would always go to Lincoln Creamery after games,” he said. “It’s something we kind of always talked about, opening an ice cream shop up one day.”

Brody, who had been working full-time in the finance industry and part-time as a camera operator for Providence College hockey and basketball games, said that the move to running an ice cream shop was something he found to be a needed change.

“I was kind of at a crossroads in terms of my career and was looking at businesses for sale and stumbled on the Dari-Bee,” he said. “It kind of seemed like the perfect opportunity for us.”

Met outside of the shop on Tuesday morning, the duo were hard at work renovating the inside of the building. They plan to refresh the look of the shop and install new windows and doors. Rich mentioned that the old wooden picnic tables would also be replaced by new outdoor furniture.

But the heart of the business will remain the same.

“We want this to continue to be a community spot where families can come together, bring the kids, have birthday parties,” Rich said.

“We basically want to keep it as similar as we can,” echoed Brody. “We’re keeping the name the same, the ice cream the same. We just want to open it back up for everybody and then as time goes on, I think we’ll look to see what we can do to add our own little flair to it.”

The Santillis said that they were hoping for a grand reopening some time in May, depending on how the renovations go.

But the buzz from the community is already growing, according to them.

“We’ve been over here for the past couple of weeks cleaning it up and getting it ready,” Brody said. “We’ve had people coming up on the bike path walking over and talking to us about how excited they are for it to open back up…We’re just excited to open it back up and get the community back over here.”

Help wanted!

Rich and Brody mentioned they were seeking seasonal help for the shop's upcoming reopening. Anyone interested should reach out to OceanStateCreamery@gmail.com.

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