Graeter’s to set up shop down Bethel Road

Graeter’s is moving its Bethel Road shop down the street to a former Family Dollar store, offering a larger space for a children’s play area and the ice cream company’s Columbus headquarters.

The new location, at 2136 Bethel Road, is tentatively set to open April 1. It’s about half a mile east of the old location at 2555 Bethel Road.

At 11,269 square feet, the new store is quite a bit larger than the roughly 7,800-square-foot space the ice cream parlor chain leased in the old location.

Graeter’s will make good use of the space, said Chip Graeter, chief of retail operations for the Cincinnati-based chain.

“It will be our Columbus headquarters,” he said. “Because it’s quite a bit bigger, we’ll have room for a great office space, a training facility and our Columbus catering headquarters. And that’s in addition to a big, beautiful new store with lots of seats, a nice little drive-through window and a much updated and improved kids play area.”

The children’s play area will include “a lot of improved features, some new things to play on and a little ice cream truck for kids. It’s really designed for 10 or 8 and under, with a little area separated from that for toddlers,” Graeter said.

The play area may even get a new name. In the old location it was called “Scoops & Chutes.”

“I was just in the Bethel store and saw the sign and wondered if we should take it down the street,” Graeter said. “So we’re currently looking at it.”

Graeter’s is relocating the shop because the owner of the old Bethel Road location has put the building up for sale. Elford Realty, representing building owner Hammerhead Investments, is listing the building for $2.07 million.

The old location was originally run by a franchisee. Graeter’s bought out the franchisee in 2010 and has been leasing the space ever since.

“But the lease is a huge nut we couldn’t continue to make work,” Graeter said.

Graeter’s has 40 retail stores in five states, including a dozen locations and a food truck in central Ohio.

The new Bethel Road location “has been a long time coming,” Graeter said. “We had to get it approved by the city, by the neighbors last year. So we’re working hard to get it open sometime in very early April.”