The downtown location of Kelainey’s ice cream shop in Warsaw is for sale. Owner Jim Thompson plans to sell the shop.

In March 2001, Jim and Patti Thompson opened the original Kelainey’s Ice Cream in downtown Warsaw. After 12 years of successfully serving sweets and sandwiches, it seems the Center Street location might soon be no more.

“We’re putting the business downtown up for sale,” says Jim Thompson. “Us and the building owner, Leon Brenneman, are going in together and selling the business and the space. We want to take a step back.”

Thompson says whoever buys Kelainey’s will be purchasing a fully-functional shop. Buyers will get the retail space and the equipment. The Thompsons will also show the new owners the ropes.

“We will provide full training,” says Thompson. “We want the next owner to be successful.” Thompson says the only thing that won’t be included is the Kelainey’s name and a few of his secret recipes.

“We’re not young anymore, and it’s a lot of work,” says Thompson of his decision to sell Kelainey’s. “We want to put our efforts into one shop.”

After the success of the downtown location, the Thompsons opened a second location in the Village at Winona Lake in 2004. They’ve spent the last three years deliberating which shop they wanted to keep, ultimately settling on Winona Lake.

“We feel we’d be successful doing either shop so we think someone else will be too,” Thompson says.

For anyone interested in buying the shop, contact Max Courtney of Bakehorn Real Estate Group at Re/Max Rainbow Real Estate. Fans of Kelainey’s are encouraged to visit while the downtown location is still open.