Cold fact - Baskin-Robbins told to close

Clutching a strawberry sundae, 7-year-old Phillip Miranda's incredulous reaction probably summed it up best: "You mean they close ice cream stores?"

It turns out that they do, sometimes even when the owners don't want to.

That is a cold fact that has become an unfortunate business reality to Nina Schmidt, who is being forced to close the Cape Girardeau's Baskin-Robbins she has owned with her husband, Richard, since 1978.

The ice cream parlor will close on May 14, about two years after the Schmidts were told that Allied Domecq, an English company that owns Baskin-Robbins, was not interested in being in smaller "non-strategic markets" and would not renew agreements with about 300 of its franchisees.

"They told us they were moving toward a new strategy concept," Schmidt said. "And apparently that didn't include us."

Uniting three ventures

Part of Allied Domecq's marketing strategy, Schmidt said, is to combine its three holdings -- Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin' Donuts and Togo's sandwich shop-- into one location. They never asked Schmidt to do that, but she said there was no room at the Town Plaza location even if they had.

Schmidt said it was especially shocking because the decision had nothing to do with sales figures.

"Dollars and gallons of ice cream sold were never mentioned," she said. "It wasn't a factor. We wouldn't have done it all this time if we had been losing money."

She never accepted the possibility of closing and thought Baskin-Robbins would change its mind.

"This is a steady business," she said. "Mom, Dad and the kids eating ice cream. That doesn't change. I was sure we wouldn't close. But I was wrong."

Other Baskin-Robbins fell victim to the same strategy, including those in Sikeston, Mo., Paducah, Ky., and Murray, Ky., she said.

Baskin-Robbins is the world's largest chain of ice cream specialty stores, with more than 4,500 locations around the globe. It's known for its 31 flavors, which are actually more than 100 that are rotated.

The Cape Girardeau store has an option to renew the franchise agreement if the store meets the requirements set out in the agreement, said Debra Newton, Baskin-Robbins director of global communications.

Richard Schmidt said they could have extended the contract until 2007, but would have had to spend as much as $40,000 remodeling the store. He said they were told that no matter what they did, however, they would have their franchise pulled in 2007.

"There's no reason to remodel if they're going to pull the plug in five years," he said. "I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid. It would not have been a good business move."

Schmidt, a supervisor at Sabreliner in Perryville, Mo., said an auction will be held May 20.

Breaking hearts

The Town Plaza is owned by Greater Missouri Builders in St. Charles, Mo.

"It's breaking our heart to hear that they're closing," property manager Shannon Hall said. "They've been great tenants."

Hall said that they've been working on getting a new business in the unit, which sits next to Garber's clothing store. She said they have not signed a lease yet.

"We're looking at quite a few deals," she said. "We've got a lot of interested parties: a clothing store, some pizza places, a sandwich shop. We're real flexible."

But the last thing longtime Baskin-Robbins customers wanted to think about was someone else occupying their favorite ice cream shop.

"I could cry over it," said Al Spradling Jr., a lawyer and former state senator. "It's sad. It has always been a good store and everybody in town goes there."

Spradling said he's bought ice cream sundaes for his staff every time he gets his hair cut at a nearby barber.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," he said. "That's the only ice cream parlor of its sort in Cape Girardeau. Hair cuts certainly won't be as fun for me or my staff."

Nancy Moore drove all the way from Perryville Thursday to get Baskin-Robbins ice cream.

"I come here once a week, and now I find out they're closing," she said. "Where else can you get a Jamoca almond fudge? This is a tradition in Cape. It's a shame they're getting treated that way."

Lori Vandeven agreed.

"I'm very disappointed," she said. "My kids and I look forward to coming here. Dairy Queen has soft-serve, but nobody has the quality that Baskin-Robbins has."

Schmidt said she doesn't plan to stop working, but now she's ready to work for someone else.

"I'm not sure what I want to do," she said. "I just want to find something that isn't sticky and doesn't involve a mop."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137