SALEM — For the first time in 74 years, Dairy Witch Ice Cream will not open this spring, marking the end of a beloved business that has been the site of countless summer memories from generations of North Shore residents.
Dairy Witch, which opened at 117 Boston St. in 1952, recently announced that the store would be closing as owner Marietta Goodridge, who has been working at the store since childhood, plans to retire.
“The open sign going up has always meant something around here,” the store said in a Facebook post announcing the closure to the community on Saturday. “It meant summer was close. It meant the long lines on hot July nights were about to start. You stood in them on first dates and after Little League games, on visits home from school and after hard weeks at work. You brought your kids, and eventually your grandkids. You are why this place lasted 74 years.”
In 1952, Goodridge’s parents, Beatrice and Peter Polemenako, rented away the land next to their home for a local family to open an ice cream shop. While the store was successful, the family running it had to give up after a year, and Beatrice and Peter took over operations.
Working at the store since she was just 10 years old, Goodridge shared memories of the early days of the store, with shiny new soft-serve machines, and windows that she said made being inside feel like floating in a fishbowl. When Beatrice was no longer able to run the store, Marietta took over and continued the tradition of the store being a family business, with her daughter’s first shift starting when she was also 10.
“I’ll always remember the memory of my daughter’s first shift,” Goodridge said. “One of the regular girls had laryngitis, and she came into work but couldn’t talk. So my daughter was the mouthpiece to ask the customers what they’d like. My son was 6-foot-4 and was a bit tall to work in the store, but he also helped with social media, accounting, and those kinds of things. I guess you could say it’s always been a part of our DNA.”
Even amongst other employees throughout the years, Goodridge described a working environment that felt like a true family.
“Some of the ex-Dairy Witch employees are leaving comments now, and I saw them all grow up,” Goodridge said. “I saw them have their families, and we had a second generation work with us just like their mothers did. We always thought of ourselves as a little family, with all the mentoring, drama, good times and bad — it’s just been a trip.”
Just as Dairy Witch has been a source of nostalgia for Goodridge and other employees over the years, countless customers from Salem and across the North Shore shared treasured memories from summers past that took place at the store.
Lisa Julien-Hayes, who grew up in Salem and now lives in Swampscott, would regularly ride her bike from her home in Witchcraft Heights to the store to enjoy favorites like the strawberry shortcake sundae. Julien-Hayes would also go with her grandmother and mother every Mother’s Day to share an ice cream, and continued the tradition with her own children when she became a mom.
“We always had our little traditions, like any time we drove by, we had to stop — that was the rule,” Julien-Hayes said. “I’m sad because it’s a huge loss, but I’m very happy for Marietta being able to retire. I’m 50 now, and I’ve literally been going there since I was a year-old child.”
It’s this reliability and family-oriented feel that Goodridge said has allowed the Dairy Witch to remain successful for over seven decades, with the store serving as a kind of time capsule for generations of community members.
“Little League, soccer, girls softball, and other sports teams from the past and the present came after their games, and that family-oriented atmosphere never changed,” Goodridge said. “The menus and the prices may have changed, but when people came back, it made them feel the memory of when they were young again.”
With many community members expressing interest in potentially purchasing the store, Goodridge said that she has not made any decisions on the future of the space, and for the time being is hoping to focus on her new adventure of retirement.
Goodridge, who is now 73, said that the reasons for her retirement are primarily to be able to spend more time with her new grandchildren and have more freedom to enjoy her summer for the first time in decades.
“I had my first three grandchildren all in a year and a half,” Goodridge said. “I really enjoyed having the time to be with them over the winter, and I want to enjoy that more while I still can. Us all being able to go on a vacation would be spectacular. My retirement was more of a personal decision than a business decision, because there’s no time like the present.”
Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202