By Doug Bloor, Theno's Dairy and Ice creamery owner, 5-28-2012
Thank you to all of our customers for your patronage, love and support. Having the chance to serve you what we felt was the best ice cream around for all these years has been a privilege and also a lot of fun.
I have over 20 years of my adult life wrapped up in Theno’s, over 33 years including my childhood, and it is with tremendous sorrow and regret that I must say we are closing for good.
This has been a very heart wrenching decision that was not arrived at quickly.
The Thenos were like another set of grandparents to me growing up and my family could not have been prouder when they entrusted their legacy to us in 1991.
Many of you knew my mother by sight if not by name as she spent most of the last 27 years behind the worn counter at Theno’s either replenishing your milk supply or serving you an ice cream cone with a smile and some kind words.
On behalf of her and all of the many dedicated, loyal, and beloved employees we had over the years I want to say thank you once again for allowing us be part of your summer evenings, birthday parties, soccer treats, holiday celebrations or even just a Sunday drive.
Many people have asked me why we are closed and the answer is no one thing led to this — rather a combination of factors has created a situation that is now unworkable.
The seemingly constant road construction at our intersection over the past few years, the removal of our back driveway access, the stagnant economy, and the constant rising cost of doing business are some of the factors that contributed to our downfall.
Our building, which some considered part of our “hole in the wall” charm is also in very poor repair. So much so, that we would have had difficulty assuring the integrity of the ice cream. The costs of these repairs were way beyond my means, especially after the last couple years of bad sales, and unfortunately our landlord, Washington Cathedral, was unable to afford the repairs either.
Please do not assume that the church forced us out of business as has been rumored to be imminent for years. They have been as big an advocate of Theno’s Dairy as anyone and if not for their kindness and patience we would have been gone long ago. Hopefully you all generated as many happy memories as I did of your experiences with Theno’s Dairy.
For now I say goodbye, thank you for all your business and remember to go out of your way to support local businesses whenever possible."
Yours truly,
Doug Bloor
May 28, 2012
The Washington Cathedral unsuccessfully proposed a Senior Center/Grocery/Mixed use development on their remaining 10-acre parcel of land. Traffic and compatibility issues with the agricultural valley stymied project approvals.
Woodinville Weekly: "The Woodinville Weekly is the first news publication in Washington state to be on the Internet." A short history of the Woodinville Weekly as found in their online edition's "About Us."
