After 74 years, Dairy Witch Ice Cream in Salem will scoop no more

After 74 years in business, Dairy Witch Ice Cream in Salem is closing its doors, the shop announced Saturday.

“We will not be opening this spring,” the business said on Facebook. “There will not be another season.”

Located at 117 Boston St., the beloved ice cream window was opened in 1952 by Beatrice and Peter Polemenako. That same year, their daughter, Marietta, was born. When Beatrice could no longer run the shop, Marietta took over.

This year, Marietta is retiring, and the shop will close as a result, according to the business. In the Facebook post, the shop, — which has long been an ice cream staple in the Greater Boston area — reminisced on its past and thanked its longtime customers.

“The open sign going up has always meant something around here. It meant summer was close,” the business wrote. “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.”

Even though Dairy Witch will no longer serve scoops, the shop has more to share so its legacy can live on. In the coming days, the business will offer up “old photos, stories, and a few things we’ve been working on,” according to the post.

As commenters shared memories and gave an outpouring of support for the shop, some expressed enthusiasm for buying the business. The shop will apparently be sold at a later date, so though it’s unlikely, a Dairy Witch revival might not be out of the question just yet.

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