New owner of Dairy Depot in Loves Park has plans for next door, too

August 13, 2025|By Kevin Haas|In Top Stories, Featured, Eat & Drink, News, Rock River Current, 815 News, Local, Business, Loves Park

Chandra Lopez is the new owner of Dairy Depot, 5413 N. Second St., in Loves Park. She’s pictured Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, in front of the ice cream shop. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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LOVES PARK — The new owner of Dairy Depot wants to carry on the summertime ice cream tradition that’s spanned more than 40 years while adding a new caffeinated kick next door.

Chandra Lopez bought the property and the business at 5413 N. Second St. at the end of last month. She plans to keep running the soft serve ice cream parlor just how longtime fans of the shop remember. A next door coffee shop is on the horizon.

“I feel like it’s historic to Loves Park. To be a part of that and get that opportunity, I was super excited for that,” said Lopez, who was recently named one of the Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce’s 40 leaders under 40.

Lopez is a Janesville, Wisconsin, native who came to Rockford when she was 12. The 2009 Guilford High School graduate has been working as a Realtor and landlord before taking on this venture.

“They’ve kind of kept everything the same for so many years, that so many families just come to enjoy,” Lopez told the Rock River Current. “I don’t want to come in here and change a bunch of things. I want it to be what Dairy Depot’s always known for. I would like to bring back some of the food choices, so people can come get some snacks. I hope people still love it the same 10 years from now as they did 10 years ago.”

The property that houses Dairy Depot has three additional commercial spaces and apartment above. Lopez, through an LLC, brought the property on July 29 for $292,999, according to the Winnebago County Clerk and Recorder’s Office. The business had been owned by Robert and Diana Witt since 2021. They bought it from longtime owners John and Diane Elliott.

Coffee and ice cream

The building is also home to Bliss Hair and Nail Studio and has one commercial space available for lease. Lopez plans to turn the commercial space immediately north of Dairy Depot into a yet-to-be-named coffee shop.

She’s pursuing an aggressive timeline, with hopes to open the coffee shop by the end of September.

“I was even thinking about making a coffee with ice cream in it,” she said, saying it would be a take on the classic Italian dessert of affogato.

She also has a few improvements in mind for Dairy Depot.

“We have a slushie machine we want to get back up and going,” she said. “I would like to turn the tent into, maybe, a gazebo. The tent’s had its age at this point.”

Dairy Depot is at 5413 N. Second St. in Loves Park. Its sign is pictured Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

As for her favorite ice cream flavor, it just so happens to be the one advertised on the Dairy Depot sign right now.

“I like my Blue Moon with my twinkle coat,” she said. “An employee just told me that they like it with the cherry dip. So I’ll put it in a cup to get my sprinkles in, then pour the cherry dip on top. It’s amazing.”

Lopez said she hasn’t yet determined the season’s closing date, but Mama’s Feel Good Food will be back with its soup and comfort food in the fall.

She said the team at Dairy Depot includes several employees who have worked at the ice cream shop for multiple seasons. That experience has made her transition into ownership easier.

“I feel like they took me in as their family,” she said. “It’s just worked really well.”