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Ice Cream Parlor fits varied uses

By Caroline Trowbridge - | Mar 22, 2000

The new owner of the former Ice Cream Parlor sees a variety of possibilities for the property.

Greg Ward, Tonganoxie, is in the process of purchasing the ice cream parlor building, as well as the former barbershop.

“I think it’s a pretty nice piece of commercial property there, and it has a lot of potential,” said Ward, owner of Logan Business Machines in Lawrence.

For now, Ward wants to find a tenant for the ice cream parlor building.

“There’s always the possibility of putting something else there down the road,” he said. “It’s a pretty good sized lot.”

Ward said he has some possible uses of his own for the building. Part of it might serve as an office for his real estate dealings.

He is an agent with J.C. Nichols.

“We’ve talked about a branch office there,” he said. “We’re still trying to determine whether we’re going to do that immediately. That’s in the plan at some point.”

It’s also a possibility that part of the building would transform into a recording studio.

“I’m also a musician and have a group that I perform with,” Ward said. “And we have wanted to put together some kind of recording studio. I think there’s a lot of interest in gospel music out there. And that’s part of what I envision in the short-term plans, too.”
Ward said it doesn’t matter to him whether a restaurant opens in the structure.

“Hopefully, within a couple of weeks, we’ll have a pretty firm plan in place,” he said.

The Ice Cream Parlor closed last month, after 10 years of serving ice cream and sandwiches in Tonganoxie. Its owners said the new Sonic Drive-In, which opened in December, proved to be too much competition for the small business.