A Hallmark of Summer in Old Lyme

If you regularly read the property transactions posted on Patch, then you'll recall that Old Lyme residents Margaret and Garry Legein recently sold Hallmark Drive-In, the ice cream shop at 113 Shore Road in Old Lyme.

I was curious as to what the new buyers, a newly-formed company in West Hartford going by 113 Shore Road LLC, had in mind for the nearly century old ice cream shop.

It turns out the new owner, Catherine Denton, is an old hand when it comes to running ice cream establishments. She currently owns A.C. Petersen Farms in West Hartford. 

"When I looked at Hallmark for purchase, I was amazed how similar our operations are," Denton writes in an email to Patch. "We serve the same quality ice cream, and have a similar menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, fried seafood and lobster rolls. In addition to our ice cream, our signature is our hand-whipped heavy cream and our hot fudge topping."
  
A cleaning crew was hard at work last week, scrubbing everything down inside the building. A crew of painters will be arriving on Wednesday to spruce up the exterior.  

Though the menu items will remain largely the same, there's one thing that will change, and that's the name. The new store will be known as A.C. Petersen Drive-in.

Denton said she hopes that the store will be ready to open for the season on May 15.

"We are very excited about this location and becoming part of the Old Lyme community," Denton said. 

The store will be hiring, too. Denton said the best way for people to apply is to stop by and fill out an application package on-site.