After the Navy, Dear worked several jobs, the last one being with Northern Marine. When the company went out of business in 2008, Dear ended up unemployed. He started renovating his house. All the while, he felt like it was time to reinvent himself.
“On that day, my wife was in Seattle, visiting her sister and mother. I was here, working on some project and just suddenly, I thought of an ice cream shop.”
When Dear’s wife, Christy Lynch, came home on that Mother’s Day evening, she listened to her husband’s plan. She agreed, saying Dear should do whatever would make him happy. Lynch has been helping with the business all along.
Dear began to convert the old horse and carriage barn next to his house.
“It didn’t have a roof, you could see the sky,” explains Dear. “I had been using this shed as my carpentry shop.”
He had a lot of construction work ahead of him to make the dream a reality.
“The main house had asbestos shingles. Those had to go. Asbestos isn’t good for anyone. I did almost all the work myself: removed the shingles, installed the plumbing, poured the concrete slab for the new shop,” Dear recalls his efforts.
He admits that one side of the old carriage house is still one foot higher than the other, but it’s not a problem. He has leveled the equipment and built a special door frame to make up for the little imperfection.
After all, with a name like Mad Hatter, things can be a little different.
Initially, Dear bought used equipment for his business. Craigslist proved to be a good source of recycled materials and tools.
“We investigated other ice cream places,” Dear says, “I had no idea what I was doing.”
They discovered Edaleen ice cream in Lynden.
“Edaleen is a family-controlled business. They know how they feed and treat their cows and that reflects in the ice cream,” Dear explains.
Mad Hatter is the only ice cream shop in Skagit County that offers the Edaleen brand. He also sells Lopez Island Ice Cream.
In 2010 they had depleted a considerable amount of their savings. It was time to go into business.
“My plan was to open up on July 1st, 2010. It was going to be an Art Walk evening and busy. But I still didn’t have the paperwork I needed.”
At 2 pm on that day he was either going to be a businessman or have to give up on his dream. City Hall called the anxious Dear at 2 pm, informing him the paperwork was ready. At 5:30 pm on the same afternoon, he opened the shop.
“I hadn’t advertised, nothing. A couple pulled up at 6:30 pm on opening day and I could see they were surprised to see my ice cream shop. The walked in and the gentleman asked how long I had been in business. ‘Oh, about an hour,’ I said.” Dear still laughs about it.
“I don’t advertise much. I use Google, and word-of-mouth seems to work. I do like being on the tourist maps, that helps. And the Farmers Market brings in a lot of customers.”
He chose the name Mad Hatter out of his three options: Old Time Ice cream, Old Town Ice cream or Mad Hatter.
“Mad Hatter is the by far the most fun. It also means something to me. I got the crazy hat from an old friend’s curiosity shop fifteen years ago. I still have it,” Dear says.
“At one point I tried rotating flavors. Mistake! People want their favorites, I can’t put them away,” Dear admits about his experiments.
Dear now offers 24 flavors on hard ice cream and 36 flavors of soft ice cream. He has a new product called Brain Freeze, similar to Dairy Queen’s Blizzard. He is also happy to make malts, shakes and several types of ice cream creations.
A stand of doggie-treats stands prominently on the glass counter, as many customers stop by with their pets. Ice cream is not good for canines, and Dear likes to promote a healthier option for them. The Blue Collar animal snacks come from Beverly Babarovitch who also sells them at the Farmers Market.
He has plans to add a customer restroom, parking and hula-hoops and kick balls for the kids.
“The best part is the kids,” Dear emphasizes. “I like to joke with them, saying I put too much on the scoop, I have to take it back. You should see their horrified faces,” he laughs.
He has contributed to children’s activities in town through his ice cream business. In 2013 the Anacortes Library held a children’s reading program. Dear offered free ice cream for the most enthusiastic bookworms.
“This town has embraced me. Some nights the picnic tables are full and I think:’ look what I have created,’ Dear says with a happy smile. “Some people come even in their pajamas, and that’s okay.”
Mad Hatter is located at the corner of 6th Street and R Avenue. Their hours are seasonal: please check their Facebook page for up-to-date information. You can also call 755-3799.