DQ marks 65 years on Elm Road
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WARREN -- Tony Niemi cannot count the number of soft-serve cones he has topped off with the signature DQ "curl."
He and his three siblings spent a lot of time growing up helping their parents, Edwin and Eileen Niemi, at the Elm Road business that this year marks its 65th anniversary.
"It's always been about family here," Tony said, pointing out that the employees who have worked at the restaurant over the years are part of that extended family.
The business recently exchanged its Dairy Queen sign with a new DQ badge as part of the franchise's rebranding effort. Later this year, new machines will replace older ones.
But customers shouldn't let the changes fool them because, as always, they can count on "a smile, great service and excellent ice cream" every time they come through the door, said Eileen Niemi.
"That's the way it's always been," she said. "It's been such a big part of the community over the years. I've loved every bit of it."
Can you say Scrumpdillyishus?
The area along Elm Road was mostly farmland with a scattering of businesses when Edwin and his brother, Arne, built a Dairy Queen in 1951. The business opened opened in May 1952 -- about 12 years after the first Dairy Queen store was established in Joliet, Ill.
Edwin was 25 at the time, had already held various jobs and graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy with a degree in engineering.
He and Arne were introduced to the Dairy Queen concept through their cousin, who already had a shop in Norwalk.
''We started out as a small family business, but we grew," Edwin said. "It grew and kept growing."
Eileen said she "married into" the business when she and Edwin wed in July 1953.
"It was a big part of our lives," she said.
Eileen helped run the office and Edwin tended the machines.
Arne ran the shop when Edwin was in the military. After Arne died in the early 1970s, Edwin and Eileen bought his half of the business.
With Eileen running the office and overseeing some 60 employees and Edwin tending to the machines and other matters, the family built the business and eventually expanded with a Dairy Queen in Howland and one in Cortland. Both of those were later sold.
"But we kept Elm Road," Eileen said. "That was the heart of everything. And we really thrived."
In 1975, the original Dairy Queen building was torn down and a new one constructed. An atrium was added in the front so people could wait inside for their orders. An outdoor picnic area behind and on the side of the business was also added. The new building opened in 1976.
"We've had only four managers in 65 years," Eileen said. "How many places could say that?"
The first three managers were Opal Rowlands , Sarah Pope and Gisela Hipkins. Hipkins' daughter, Cindy Sumner, is now manager. Longtime cake decorator Leslie Obradovich has been with the family 15 years.
New twist on service
Tony was a teenager when he started working for his parents.
After living in Arizona from 1980 to 1990, he returned to the Warren area and took on the role as night manager at the Elm Road Dairy Queen in 1991. He met his wife, Kathleen, in 1996 and the two, after marrying in 1997, started running the store. The took it over officially in 1998 and operated it together until Kathleen passed away in 2015.
"This business has actually been a first job for a lot of young people in the area," Tony Niemi said. "I've had many people come back and say they appreciate what we've taught them about working. I've had people tell me I taught them how to work, and they appreciate it. Many have gone on to be successful in their careers and their lives."
He said just as he and his siblings helped his parents, he can see his children, Logan, 14, and Lauren, 12, working with him.
"I can definitely see them as future employees," he said. "Teaching good work ethic and how to work along side someone and help out is a good step in life. This business had been that first step for a lot of people."
Sumner has worked for the Niemi family on and off over the years.
"When you have a business like this, a local family business, it really becomes part of the community," Sumner said. "You get to know the people coming in and know who your customers are and they know you. They look forward to us opening each year for the season. That means a lot."
Treating a community right
"Dairy Queen came out with that saying, 'We Treat You Right,' years ago, but for us really, it was always how we viewed the business," Eileen Niemi said. "You do a good job, treat people right and they'll keep coming back. They'll support you."
The family will observe the shop's anniversary May 24 and 25 by offering discounted cones.
"We really appreciate all the years we've been here, the community support we've received and the opportunity to continue," Tony said. "It's just a way of saying thanks and showing we really do appreciate the people who have worked for us and been our customers over the years."
vshank@tribtoday.com