It's-It Club Pivots, Long Live It's-It Club!

A freezer full of It's-It ice cream sandwiches. — *A freezer full of It’s-It ice cream sandwiches. Photo credit: It’s-It Club Portland*.

I developed a taste for It’s-It ice cream sandwiches when I lived in the Bay Area in the 1990s, so when I discovered they were accessible here via the It’s It Portland Club, it gave me a lot of joy. They really are a taste of the region, and even just hearing the name brings back a lot of good memories. So I was sorry to hear about the (un)official end of the Club, but happy to hear It’s-It Club will live on at Spielman Bagels.

Portland’s It’s-It Club Origins

The It’s-It Club Portland started up during the summer of 2020, during the first year of the pandemic. Launched by Jeffrey Sincich and Josh Stover of J&S Signs, it existed online via a dedicated Instagram account, It’s-It Club Portland, where one could find updates on arrivals and supply in real-world Portland.

They were able to offer a whole range of flavors for purchase at their shop: vanilla, chocolate, mint, cappuccino, strawberry, matcha/green tea, pumpkin—plus mini It’s-Its and Chip-Its (kind of like a Chipwich). Through the club they got to connect with Apizza Scholls, which also sells It’s-It sandwiches on their menu.

So What’s the Big Deal About The It’s-It, Anyway?

So what is an It’s-It and why is it a big deal for so many? It’s an ice cream sandwich consisting of two oatmeal cookies with ice cream in between them, covered in dark chocolate. Most ice cream sandwiches do not use oatmeal cookies, so I consider that to be one of the unique elements of the It’s-It, and why it tastes so good.

The company makes other ice cream novelties, like the aforementioned Chip-Its, but the original It’s-It is what holds a place in my heart. This great article in the Portland Mercury indicates the original It’s-It was created in 1928 in San Francisco.

Why the Club Had To End

You might be wondering why the guys had to end the It’s-It Club. They talk about it on their Instagram: “Due to us (@varietyshopstudio) having to move to a new studio without a storefront portion, we are no longer able to carry out the ever important duties of selling It’s Its out of our shop.” Variety Shop Studio is the progeny of J&S Signs.

It’s Its at Spielman Bagels on SE Division

I was pretty chuffed to hear the It’s-It Club freezer was moving to Spielman Bagels, thinking it was the one on NE Broadway, but was a little disappointed to hear it was going to their other location at 2111 SE Division. But oh well, in the end that’s really not that big a deal. Maybe, though, they will have the freezer pop up at the NE Broadway location. Maybe?

Big thanks to Jeffrey and Josh for starting up the Club and for the folks at Spielman Bagels for taking over the freezer and keeping a supply of It’s-It easily accessible to their fans in Portland.

It’s-It Club Portland Freezer location (as of February 2022)
Spielman Bagels
2111 SE Division Street, Portland
It’s-It Club Portland Instagram | Spielman Bagels Instagram

Updated April 21. 2025.