Williamstown's Lickety Split Closes

By Phyllis McGuireSpecial to iBerkshires
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Residents craving ice cream were greeted with this sign in the window of Lickety Split since Nov. 1.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Rumors began flying this summer but now what the Williams College community and town folk dreaded has come. Lickety Split on Spring Street has closed.

The beloved ice cream shop closed its doors at the end of October but owner Robin Kanelos said she expects the restaurant to reopen in a new location. However, that location is still unknown after the Kanelos' lease expired.

Kanelos did not wish to expand further on the shop's closing but when contacted in September, she said she intended to return to Spring Street. She declined to reveal what steps, if any, she is taking in that direction nor would she say why she was not renewing her lease or if she had even been given an opportunity to do so. The building's owner, Mark Paresky, has not been available to comment.

Recently, Kanelos mentioned that Williams College is helping her find a space to reopen Lickety Space. The only available space on Spring Street as of this moment is 32 Spring St., which was occupied by McClelland's until 2009.  But rumor has it that something else may be opening up on the street.

Loyal patrons of  Lickety Split, the shop best known for its delicious ice cream, including the popular Purple Cow flavor, are more than disappointed that their supply has literally been cut off. One Williams student spoke of the closing of the shop as an "atrocity" and the wife of a faculty member has vowed not to patronize any other ice cream vendors on the street.


The Lickety Split location at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is still open.

In September, Kanelos made it clear that since she assumed ownership of the Williamstown Lickety Split eleven years ago, she has operated the business independently of Lickety Split at Mass MoCA.  

"My sister and her husband own the Lickety Split at Mass MoCA," she said.
 
Though mystery continues to shroud the fate of the cozy eatery that offered snacks, soups, sandwiches and salads as well as ice cream, iBerkshires will be sleuthing until it can report the opening of a re-incarnated Lickety Split.


*iBerkshires reporter Andy McKeever also contributed to this article.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Williamstown Asked to Ban Smoking in Apartments, Condos

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Board of Health on Monday learned that town meeting will be asked to outlaw smoking in most multi-family housing.
 
William Raymond of 189 Stratton Road told the board that he has submitted a citizen's petition to ask the annual town meeting to enact a bylaw that would ban smoking in apartments and condominiums except for those that are owner-occupied with up to four units.
 
"These requirements are in effect at Highland Woods, Proprietor's Field and the Meadowvale housing complex," Raymond told the board. "I'm only asking for the same protection that subsidized housing people get in the town."
 
Raymond detailed his own experience dealing with second-hand smoke in his Williamstown condo.
 
"One of my neighbors smokes cigarettes in her unit and on the deck in the summer," Raymond said. "She's a very nice person. I don't bear her any ill will. I bought her an air filter. I spent $200 to plug up the plumbing lines and electrical lines coming into my kitchen and bath. Unfortunately, the second-hand smoke still comes in."
 
The smoke is both a nuisance and a health hazard, Raymond said.
 
"If the smoke didn't come through the walls, I wouldn't care," he said. "The individual's right to do what they want in their own residence is something I respect, very, very much. I want the same rights myself.
 
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