The booths, scoops and vintage cash registers that once filled Toll Gate Ice Cream are heading out the door this weekend, as the shuttered Slingerlands landmark's new owners clear out its contents while planning a revitalization. An estate sale at 1569 New Scotland Road will offer up the remaining contents of the long-closed ice cream parlor and restaurant, from sundae cups to appliances, giving longtime locals a chance to take home a piece of the place as its future takes shape.
The sale is being run by Empire Estate Sales, which says on its website that “the Toll Gate building has been sold. In preparation of its revitalization project, Empire Estate Sales will be liquidating the contents.” According to that listing, shoppers can expect “ice cream scoops and sundae cups to cookware and ice cream signs…and even the booths themselves.” The Saturday hours are listed as 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the estate sale company's site, though the Times Union reports the sale running from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day; both sources agree Sunday's sale runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
One thing that is not for sale: the building's iconic exterior signage. Empire Estate Sales was blunt about that on its listing, writing in capital letters that the “EXTERIOR SIGNAGE IS NOT FOR SALE!” That's notable given that the shop's famous sign has become something of a local touchstone again — the new owners fixed it up, and per the Times Union's reporting, it now lights up each evening.
A 1949 Landmark Changes Hands
Toll Gate traces back to 1949, when Robert E. Zautner founded the ice cream parlor and restaurant, according to the Times Union's reporting. The Zautner family ran the business for decades until its 2017 closure. The Daily Gazette reports that Zautner closed it that year due to illness, leaving the building vacant for nearly a decade since.
The property changed hands once in 2021, per the Times Union, before selling again this past summer. The Daily Gazette reports that Toll Gate RSR LLC paid $700,000 for the 0.7-acre lot in July, with the new ownership group identified as Morgan Ruthman, Brian Degener and Harvet Jones — all described as Bethlehem residents. Degener told the Times Union that the estate sale gives the community a chance to own a piece of Toll Gate history.
Searching for the Right Tenant
The new owners are now looking for a tenant to fill the space, and they've been talking with neighbors about what that should look like since taking over this past July. Brianne Conner, senior economic developer for the Town of Bethlehem, is helping connect the ownership group with potential tenants, according to the Times Union's reporting.
Conner said residents want a use they can actually patronize, the Times Union reports. Brian Degener told the Daily Gazette that people want something they can walk or bike to and simply hang out at. Community suggestions floated so far include a restaurant, an ice cream shop, a beer garden and a wine bar, per the Times Union. The owners have said they would love to lease the space for ice cream again if the right tenant comes along, according to the Daily Gazette, though no tenant or final use has been confirmed.
Conner also noted that Toll Gate carries deep sentimental value locally even though it isn't a state-designated historic site, the Times Union reports. The ownership group has not filed site plan or building permit applications with the town planning board, according to the Times Union's reporting, and the owners say they hope to find a new use that benefits the community and to fill the space as soon as possible.
