Buy This Iconic Ohio Ice Cream Stand!

A beloved Butler County roadside ice cream stand is up for sale. So, if you’ve ever wanted to buy an ice cream stand in the shape of an ice cream cone (and painted with the orange-and-white swirl of its main product to boot), this is your sign from the universe.

On Saturday, Sept. 21, The Cone’s owner, Keith Wren, announced on social media that he is looking for new owners to take over, while keeping the same family recipes and growing The Cone for future generations of southwest Ohioans to enjoy.

“We have been truly blessed with many friends over the years, smiling faces and joy of knowing that creating quality ice cream is well worth it,” said Wren, the son of founders Ken and Louella Wren, in the Sept. 21 announcement.

The Cone’s humble beginnings preceded its ice cream-shaped stand, with Ken and Louella opening the K&W Creamery in Lockland-Reading, Ohio, in 1973. This is where their beloved orange-and-vanilla swirled soft serve treat became a specialty, and it carried on to The Cone when it opened its doors — or rather, service windows — in 1995.

Keith has been at The Cone for its entire 30-year run on Tylersville Road in West Chester, continuing to grow the roadside stand to offer not just ice cream, but also kiddie rides, an arcade, indoor seating, a drive-thru lane and more. Expanded operations have also included the addition of The Mobile Cone, a food truck that Keith and Ken started in 2005 to take to fairs, festivals and events.

During his tenure, Keith also found what he believes to be the perfect balance of that orange-and-vanilla swirl that Ken created all those years ago.

“My dad developed it, and I tweaked it. I made it a little more tart and a little more robust,” Keith said in a summer 2024 interview with Ohio Magazine about The Cone’s mobile operations.

The announcement revealed that the Wren family is retiring, thankful for the outpouring support of customers and looking to give the business over to a new owner who will care for The Cone, as well as the West Chester community in the years to come.

“What I really need to say to the West Chester community is we love you, and you were always there for us, and we appreciate that very much,” Keith says.  “We’re not going anywhere, and we will make sure the brand does another 50 years.”

The Cone will continue operations as normal until a new buyer takes over, but hurry in, because the 2024 season ends on Sept. 29.

For more information about The Cone and to read the full closing announcement, please visit thecone.com.

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