Old Town Ben & Jerry’s Owners Sell Shop For First Time In 25+ Years
The Ben & Jerry's in Old Town Fort Collins, CO was just sold for the first time in nearly three decades.
According to a Mar. 31 post via the Old Town Ben and Jerry's official Facebook page, the original owners of the popular scoop shop located in the heart of Old Town Fort Collins (1 Old Town Square, Suite 104), Lee and Ann Swanson, decided that it was time to pass on the keys to the Ben and Jerry's they opened together back in 1996.
After more than 25 years of running the business together, the Swansons are officially going into retirement.
The Swansons' spent their very last day at the shop - as owners - last Thursday (Mar. 31).
What's next? Well, according to the Coloradoan, Lee Swanson says some traveling, volunteering, and pickleball are currently on the agenda for the couple's retirement plans.
"I’m a little weirded out about that," Swanson said with a laugh. "That means total retirement when you’re playing pickleball."
The Swansons' new season in life begins following a nearly three-decade run that started in the mid-1990s. The Coloradoan says Lee, a graphic designer at the time, and Ann, a photo stylist and illustrator for a Loveland magazine publisher, were both looking to make career switches when they decided to open the ice cream shop in 1996.
"There was only one ice cream shop in (Old) Town at that time," Lee told the Coloradoan, referring to Walrus Ice Cream on Mountain Ave in Old Town Fort Collins.
Meet The New Owners Of The Old Town Fort Collins Ben & Jerry's
Meet the Jessica's.
On Mar. 31, the Swanson's "passed the scoop" to the Old Town Square Ben & Jerry's to Jessica Norris and Jessica Dizmang, business partners who currently run Ben & Jerry's shops in Denver and Boulder, respectively.
"Jessi (Norris) is the same age I was when we opened (the shop) ... 40," Lee told the Coloradoan, adding that Norris, a Poudre High School and Colorado State University graduate, will now be running the Fort Collins shop.
"They're seasoned. They know what they're doing," Swanson said. "To me, it was a no-brainer."