Journal News
Graeter's opens West Chester Twp. store
By Matt Cunningham
Staff Writer
Thursday, April 03, 2008
When Graeter's Ice Cream celebrates the grand opening of its West Chester Twp. location on Friday, the company will open its 14th Cincinnati area location, extending its physical presence further from its downtown home than ever before. But company officials said they do not see expansion into the suburbs as a move away from the family company's 138-year-old home.
"I don't think people view this as outside Cincinnati," said Graeter's vice president Bob Graeter. "Our customers are out here and want us, and we're trying to meet that need."
Extras
Graeter's 3,200 square-foot store at 7651 Cox Lane is the first business to open in a joint restaurant/retail center the ice cream company built in partnership with Dewey's Pizza. The development includes a Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches restaurant and has room for two to four additional tenants, said Graeter, who added the development was not strictly seeking food businesses.
"We would definitely be interested in all complementary merchants," he said.
Graeter's vice president Chip Graeter said the company has invested roughly $1 million in the store, which will feature ice cream, candy and baked goods. He did not estimate the number of patrons they hope to serve this year, but Bob Graeter said they look forward to brisk business.
"The more the merrier," said Bob Graeter.
To prepare the store's staff for the grand opening weekend, store manager Diana Stout said staff members are being trained at the Graeter's in Deerfield Township, a move Deerfield store manager Ken Colegrove said is standard practice for a new store opening.
"We're just giving them as much experience as possible in a real store," he said.
Both Bob and Chip Graeter said the West Chester Twp. store will be involved in community activities. Graeter's plans to be at both Lakotafest and KiteFest this weekend, they said, and the company plans to donate $1,000 to Friends of West Chester Library during the opening ceremony, scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday.
"I think we have picked literacy, especially children's literacy, as the focus of our charitable efforts," said Bob Graeter.
For more information on Friday's grand opening, go to graeters.com.
Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5127 or .