Owner Linda Rubin removes a batch of honey-lavender gelato from a commercial ice cream machine at Frisky Cow Gelato in Keene Tuesday. The gelato then goes into a blast freezer, which exposes it to frigid -30 degree air, according to Events Manager Elijah Rubin. (Noah Diedrich / Sentinel Staff)
Seeking to expand its retail space, Frisky Cow Gelato is changing locations within the Elm City.
Currently situated at 80 Krif Road in Keene, the gelateria is planning to move its operation to 233 Marlboro St. later this year, owner Linda Rubin said. The building most recently housed Kickboxing Keene.
The new space provides a larger space for selling Frisky Cow’s gelato — which is made in-house — and more parking than its current location, where it’s operated for about the past six years, Linda said.
Frisky Cow is set to close on the new building in June, according to Elijah Rubin, the company’s events manager and Linda’s son. The frozen treat purveyor is working with Savings Bank of Walpole and the U.S. Small Business Association to procure funding.
“We’re really pumped to just kind of have a space all our own,” Elijah said. “We really want to be in a more central, easy-to-access spot, where folks can just drop by.”
The 1,880 square-foot building requires some renovations before Frisky Cow can open there. The Rubins plan to add a takeout window, erect a wall to separate the production area from the retail area and install a larger display case to expand their flavor offerings, Elijah said. The gelateria’s slate of flavors rotates weekly, and with a new case, they could at least double their offerings.
For now, the Rubins are unsure whether they will open the new location this summer, or sometime in the fall, Linda said. When the new space is ready, they plan to open-year round and expand their hours to seven days a week during the warmer months.
“The possibilities are endless,” she said. “It’s exciting.”
Frisky Cow was first located at Stonewall Farm in Keene, were it operated until the farm couldn’t sustain its dairy production, which stopped in 2022. Since leaving Stonewall, the family-run gelato company has looked to maintain the small business’ community-centric identity, Linda said.
“It’s not easy being small, but it’s, to us, what makes a community vibrant, what brings people together,” she said. “Those are really important things for us.”
Noah Diedrich can be reached at 603-355-8569, or ndiedrich@keenesentinel.com.
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