“We have been overwhelmed and humbled by the local community support we have received,” says Kim. “We’re so grateful for everyone who has stopped by to express well wishes and excitement that we have opened an ice cream shop in Hanover. We hear daily, ‘thank you for opening an ice cream shop—we so needed this in our town.’”

Located in the space next to the Nugget Theater and formerly occupied by the apparel and accessory store J List, which closed in January, Hanover Scoops originally opened for the season last summer in the space formerly occupied by Morano Gelato, but the space was subsequently leased to the new sandwich shop, the Nest Kitchen, which is a spin-off of Norwich’s Blue Sparrow Kitchen. The space is overseen by the Hanover Improvement Society, whose manager, Jeff Graham, acknowledges that the town needs an ice cream shop.

“[Hanover Scoops] is the perfect complement to the Nugget and the Nest,” Jeff says. “The Smiths have a terrific shop and proven track record in Woodstock, so I feel it is a perfect fit.”

The Smiths own Red Wagon Toy Company and 37 Central Clothiers in Woodstock in addition to Woodstock Scoops, which is in the former Vermont Flannel Co. location on Central Street. The ice cream parlor opened just as tourists and shoppers endured 15 months of COVID-19 and was well received.

With both shops, the Smiths say that they were motivated to fill a vacuum created after similar businesses closed. The opportunity to open Woodstock Scoops, for example, came when Mountain Creamery’s ice cream parlor and lunch counter on Central Street closed in 2021 after 34 years and relocated near the Sleep Woodstock Motel on Route 4 in West Woodstock. Hanover Scoops materialized after the closing of Morano Gelato.

Managed by the Smiths’ daughter Allison, Hanover Scoops offers 12 to 15 flavors of farm-to-cone ice cream sourced from Wilcox Ice Cream in East Arlington, Vermont, and Mountain Creamery of Bridgewater, Vermont. Chocolate and vanilla soft serve and maple creemees are available in addition to rotating seasonal flavors.

“Our vision for the future is simply ice cream,” says Kim. “I’ve learned from my many years in retail to stay true to what you do and do it well. We plan to offer the best ice cream, made fresh and locally, and to work with several small local vendors that make their ice cream with care.”

Hanover Scoops is located at 57 South Main Street, Hanover, NH 03755. For further information, call (603) 607-6877.