Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley & Thomas Thornton.
Hi Ashley & Thomas, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In 2001 at the age of 15, I, Ashley Thornton, started working at Dairy Land, growing up right down the street & eating there frequently; it was a perfect first job. I started in the kitchen as a cook, moved to the front room making ice cream, eventually made my way outside to car hop, and at 18, was promoted to shift supervisor. In 2008 Tom, who also grew up eating Dairy Land, started eating Dairy Land a few times a week & he definitely caught my eye. We started dating, fell in love so quick, got married, and started a family the following year! When you know, you know. We always joke because when he asked me what my plans were for the rest of my life, I confidently said, “Dairy Land! I love it!” Long story short, in 2017, the long-standing “original owners” decided to retire, and we took a leap of faith and purchased the historic Dairy Land in Mansfield! Open since 1947! Over the past six years, we’ve added so many exciting new menu items in addition to the classic staples. We love our community and try to stay involved whenever we can. Social media has been a game changer for us, and with hard work and continuous posting since 2017, we have grown the business about 40%! We hope to continue to grow and expand in the near future.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth, no way! Owning an ice cream shop, I’m sure sounds so fun, and at times it really is, but there have been so many struggles especially old breaking down equipment that we have acquired; it seems like something is always breaking down! We make as many updates as we possibly can each season. Slow and steady wins the race, they say! It’s also so much work 24/7 Dairy Land is what we do 😊
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Dairy Land has been in the Mansfield community since 1947 and is a staple in our community as well as surrounding communities! We are known for our coneys and shredded chicken, and, of course, the giant ice cream cone on top of the building. We serve soft-serve ice cream and most recently added a new machine to do specialty flavors. We’ve tested the famous dole whip, homemade peanut butter, and homemade banana. They all got rave reviews! We think it is so important to give back to our community and do so in many ways, including donating .25 from every pup cup sold to our local humane society; we also do the same thing during our Christmas in July celebration; every Christmas item sold equals .25 towards a food bank donation to the salvation army. We’ve also sponsored an ice cream exhibit at the Buckeye Imagination Museum! We have been and always will be the ice cream shop for everyone. We absolutely love and appreciate all of our customers. We serve 100s of people a day. We have many regulars and see new faces from all over Ohio…
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
So far, luck hasn’t played a part in our business; it would be nice to run into some good luck, but where we are today has been due to sacrifice and hard work! Do we feel blessed, absolutely. Are we grateful every day! But we haven’t hit our lucky streak yet 😉
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @dairyland1947
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/dairyland1947
