5/24/19 DAIRY DEPOT & BEAUTIFICATION INITIATIVES UPDATE:

John's family has been working diligently since his passing to help ensure a smooth transition and ongoing operations of the seasonal soft serve ice cream parlor. “Thanks to long-time Dairy Depot employee Brittany Larsen, the community can enjoy another great season of summertime ice cream treats between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends,” said Diane K. Elliott, owner of Dairy Depot. “As lifelong residents in ‘The Parks,’ John and I worked hard to make a difference in the lives of our family, friends, and customers. Out of all of John’s accomplishments, owning the Dairy Depot was truly the most fulfilling and rewarding for him. For that reason, our family is dedicated to ensuring that his legacy lives on at Dairy Depot for future generations to come.”

“We are extremely excited to be back this year,” said Brittany Larsen, operator of Dairy Depot. “Dairy Depot opened in 1984, which makes this summer our 35th season! It makes me happy to see growing families returning year after year and that we can be a part of their lives. We saw a lot of new faces last year and hope to continue to attract new customers, especially with our recent makeover. I would also like to give a shout out to my team, as they did an outstanding job last year, considering the circumstances. They all stepped up and took on responsibilities they would not normally do to keep things running as they would have under John’s leadership. We all walked in the door each day knowing John is looking out for us. We’re also happy to announce some new products this year - one of which will be various Dole Whip flavors. Dole Whip is a Dairy Free, Fat Free, and Gluten Free soft serve product that will allow everyone to enjoy soft serve while at the Dairy Depot. We hope to see you soon!”

John and Diane’s daughter has led recent beautification efforts for the business, the building, and the neighborhood in honor and memory of John.  “Thanks to overwhelming support from the community, our family was inspired to make investments and lead beautification initiatives that would have a long-term, positive impact in the region,” said Tonya Lamia, daughter of John and Diane Elliott. “Knowing how much John loved creating a special place for families and friends to gather in the summertime, there’s no better way to honor his legacy.”

Beautification efforts in honor of John M. Elliott Jr include:

Beautification of the Dairy Depot business located at 5413 N. 2ndStreet:  The Dairy Depot logo (train locomotive with ice cream cone smoke stack and business name in clouds) has been installed on the building as a new Art Mural. A cow conductor has been added inside the train to connect meaning to existing cow spots on the building, and the service windows are positioned inside a new train car. The barrels and garbage cans will be covered with cow spots to expand the brand into seating and parking areas, and new flower planters will be installed along N. 2nd Street in June.

Beautification of the commercial building located at 5413 – 5423 N. 2nd Street: Improvements to the Dairy Depot building are complete, including removing old signage, power washing and painting,  installing new awnings, improving window and door frames, and replacing address numbers. “We’re excited to also announce that Bliss Hair and Nail Studio is relocating to the Dairy Depot building from their long-time location in downtown Rockford,” said Lamia. “The salon is a wonderful addition to the neighborhood, and we anticipate great synergies between the businesses in the building. Renovations of the new Bliss Hair and Nail Studio are underway at 5419 N. 2nd Street, and we look forward to their grand opening in early June.”

Economic development and public spaces:  “In addition to improvements made at the Dairy Depot building, we’re honored to be working with the City of Loves Park to spearhead neighborhood redevelopment and beautification projects,” said Lamia. “Together with the City of Loves Park and Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful, we’re raising money from the private sector to build three new public parks on three of the four corners of River Lane and N. 2nd Street. We look forward to making announcements with community partners and sponsors in the months to come.”

The new Dairy Depot Art Mural and beautification improvements to the building were designed in collaboration with Mic Solon of Montel Customs. “We thank Solon for his tremendous talent and commitment to perfection, which propelled our vision to new heights,” said Lamia. “We’re excited to see how customers respond to the new Art Mural and encourage everyone to share their photos and stories on Dairy Depot’s social media pages.”