T-L File Photo DAIRY JEAN, located along U.S. 250 in Adena, is set to reopen for the season next month after closing last year because of the pandemic and related social distancing requirements.

ADENA — A popular ice cream parlor has announced it will reopen in the spring after remaining closed this past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dairy Jean, located along U.S. 250 in Adena, announced that it plans to reopen for business this season. The ice cream shop is visited by hundreds of people each year and is a well-known stop for many for more than 50 years.

“We are excited to announce we will be reopening this spring. … In the meantime, we wish everyone good health and we look forward to seeing everyone soon,” the shop stated.

Romona Rensi, co-owner of Dairy Jean, said they plan to open the first week of April.

“We’re planning to open after Easter, but haven’t set an exact date yet,” she said. “We’re excited to reopen, we sure missed it.”

The seasonal shop is typically open from April through September each year. However, the shop opted to remain closed last season due to the pandemic. Rensi said the small space the shop encompases would have left little room for employees to properly practice social distancing so the decision was made to remain closed. She said it was a difficult choice as the shop has opened every year since the family has owned the business.

The business has been in Rensi’s family for 51 years. She inherited the business from her parents, Pete and Patricia Chiudioni who purchased it in 1970 from the original owners.

Rensi said she and her husband Joe, co-owner of the shop, are currently making plans for the reopening. She said they are hoping to do something special for the customers to show their appreciation for all the support they have received during the past year.

“We are thankful for people’s understanding for why we were closed last season. We’ve received a lot of really wonderful, positive feedback and we’d like to thank all those people,” she said. “We look forward to seeing everyone.”

The shop will reopen with safety precautions in place to ensure the safety of its employees and customers.