Dairy Zone in Petoskey reopens under new ownership

PETOSKEY — After closing down nearly one year ago, Dairy Zone on M-119 has reopened under new ownership. 

Charis Larson and Suzanne Sipe, owners of Snickerdoodlz at 2170 Anderson Road, were looking to open a second frozen yogurt location, when they had the opportunity to purchase Dairy Zone and made the decision to pivot to ice cream. 

“We felt that our brand, our company and our system could really make Dairy Zone work well under our management. And it seems to fit right in with what we've got going on at Snickerdoodlz,” Larson said.

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The pair decided to keep the Dairy Zone name so that locals and vacationers that frequented the store before it closed would recognize it, as well as keep the store open year-round to meet the off-season demand they have seen through owning Snickerdoodlz. In addition to the name, they also kept the menu nearly identical, but added dairy-free dole whip, bubble tea and shiverz to the menu. 

Dairy Zone had a surprise soft opening on Friday, June 24, after Charis made an announcement via Facebook Live. Since then, the store has been consistently busy with customers expressing their excitement at once again having an affordable ice cream shop away from the bustle of downtown.

“We really wanted to just keep this business alive, keep it going,” Sipe said. “We heard a lot of comments from people that they missed it and we knew that the community really appreciated it being here. And so we saw an opportunity to fill that niche for people over on this side of the bay as well.”

Eventually, Larson and Sipe plan to add ice cream cakes and ice cream sandwiches, all made in-house, to a grab and go freezer section, as well as custom cake orders. Also in the freezer section will be Michigan dairy products like Hudonville and Ashby’s ice cream.

“People are thrilled. They were so sad that it wasn’t open, which, (as) a new owner coming in, feels great, to know that you made the right decision,” Larson said. “(Customers) were really just so excited to have it open again.”

Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter, @Tess_Petoskey