I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. The new owners of Another Time Ice Cream Parlor & Chocolates are now open to provide your ice cream fix as well as some other tasty treats.
Jay and Anne Cecko purchased the business, located in Lanesboro, Minn., from Ron and Kathy Kasten in March 2018, and are very excited to get their first spring and summer as owners underway.
Jay was born in Minneapolis, and grew up in Fridley, Minn., while Anne was born in Madison, Wis., and grew up in Waconia, Minn. The couple met when they both worked at a Korean Food Company in Minneapolis called Eastern Foods, where Jay was the plant manager and Anne was doing a college internship in marketing at the company.
The Cecko’s own a home in Excelsior, Minn., and when Jay’s brother, Mike, and his wife bought a home in Lanesboro to retire, they came for a visit and fell in love with the city of Lanesboro.
They purchased a home in Lanesboro two years ago and have spent as much time there as possible for the last couple years. They still own their home in Excelsior and split time between the two, states Jay.
When the Cecko’s neighbor, Jason Resseman, stopped at their house in Lanesboro to drop off a Christmas gift basket for them last winter, he informed the couple that Another Time Ice Cream Parlor & Chocolates was for sale. The couple discussed the possibility of purchasing the business on their way back to Excelsior.
“I have always wanted to own my own business,” says Anne. “My dad and brother are both food scientists and we have got a lot of food manufacturing in multiple generations of my family,” notes Anne, so owning a business where the entire family could be involved sounded like a great opportunity.
It took about three months to get to where we are; a lot of research, a lot of studying and a lot of business planning,” explains Anne.
“With food manufacturing there is a lot of creativity and a lot of business aspect to it,” states Anne, so having family members with experience is a definite advantage.
Their son Anthony has IT experience and has been helping with that side of the business. Anthony will be overseeing the installation of a POS system in the business in the near future. Anthony and his wife Rachel will both be busy helping in the ice cream shop.
The Cecko’s daughter Marguerite is knowledgeable in human resources and is familiar with the service industry, and she has been working hard helping set up a lot of things in the business. Marguerite and her husband Bob will both be very involved in the business along with the rest of the family.
Jay’s brother Mike will be helping out with the day to day running of the business as well. “He’s super handy and I’m not,” states Jay, so Mike’s experience is a huge asset. “He is very meticulous,” says Jay, and will make sure everything is done to the best of his ability.
“It’s fun to be able to get your family involved and work with the public and be in a town like this,” states Anne. “We got into this because we wanted to have something that we could all get together and do together that was fun,” notes Jay.
The Ceckos look forward to getting to know the employees that have stayed on, saying, “We are thrilled to have all these young people that are going to be working with us and teaching us and being successful together as a team,” Jay says.
After a snowstorm delayed their first opening on April 14, 2018, the Ceckos opened the doors of their new business venture on April 21 to many happy customers.
“It’s been an interesting journey,” says Anne from the time they decided to buy the ice cream shop to their initial opening. “It’s been fun working together,” states Jay, as he says, “we both had our own careers but this is really something we have been doing together.”
The name of the business will not change and the top-notch products they offer will stay the same also. “Kathy and Ron did a phenomenal job building a brand where they had really high quality products that are Minnesota products, and the customers have really come to see this as a destination-type ice cream parlor,” notes Anne.
“People have mentioned that they are happy the ice cream shop is going to stay the way it is and they feel that it’s part of the town,” says Jay. “I think they appreciate the fact that we are not going to change anything,” he states.
The ice cream shop has been painted and decorated in such a colorful way that customers love the atmosphere and particularly enjoy the outdoor seating area in the summer.
Another Time Ice Cream Parlor & Chocolates serves many flavors of Bridgeman’s Ice Cream, Abdallah Chocolates and Nancy’s Chocolates, including truffles, creams, sea salt items, caramels, mints, old fashioned candy and lollipops. but the ice cream and treats are only the beginning.
Another Time Ice Cream Parlor & Chocolates also has several varieties of drinks which include a full espresso bar featuring lattes, mochas and frappes. For something a little different, try a Affogato which is an Italian coffee-based dessert that blends vanilla ice cream with hot espresso. Caribou coffee and tea selections can also be found at the ice cream shop.
The ice cream shop also makes its own hot chocolate and offers shakes, malts and smoothies in many flavors. Spring Grove soda and other bottled beverages are also available. Fresh whipped cream is offered and is made with milk from Kapper’s Big Red Barn located in Chatfield, Minn.
The ice cream shop will be open seven days a week from Mother’s Day to Labor Day. The business will be posting their hours on the Lanesboro Chamber website at Lanesboro.com if customers want to see when they will be open until they begin their full schedule.
Another Time Ice Cream Parlor & Chocolates is located at 100 Parkway Ave. N. in Lanesboro. The phone number is (507) 467-3556. For more information visit facebook.com/Another-Time-Ice-Cream-Parlor-Chocolates. More information is available on Instagram and look for the new business website which will be up and running in the near future.
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