By Audrey Stratton | Local Happenings
The hottest new place in town is serving up the sweetest treats around! Whit’s Frozen Custard of Portsmouth set up shop at 631 2nd Street right here in Portsmouth.
Sweet treats are not all that they have! Besides freshly made custard, frozen custard cakes, and Whittie cookie sandwiches, they also offer footlongs, BBQ sandwiches, and shredded chicken.
Matt and Aleis Conley are the proud owners. They started planning the business in November of 2019 and officially opened August 17, 2020. The Whittman's started the very first Whit’s location in Graneville, Ohio, back in 2003 and today other families across the country have opened up 60 locations.
They felt that Whit’s would be a great addition to our county. They centered their thoughts around having a nice place for families to gather together.
Since they are located in the historic Boneyfiddle district, I had to ask if they knew any history about their building. They told me that it used to be called “The Trotter Building”.
I did my research and found that it was owned by Eliza (Denison) Trotter, who was a pioneering businesswoman. She launched her hat store in 1858 and constructed the building in the early 1870s.
Since then it has been home to a dental office, a photography studio, a music academy, and much more!
Even though they only recently opened, I talked with them about COVID and how it has impacted their launch. Matt told me, “Covid affected our business by giving us a late start to opening. We had originally planned to open in May. COVID made that impossible. However, we have had amazing support from the people of Scioto County, even through this pandemic. I think the reason why is that it gives families in our community something to do. It’s nice to be able to take the family out for a frozen custard treat. We are blown away by the support we have been shown and hope that it gives our community something to look forward to each week as our flavors change. We sure do love to see all of the smiling faces.”
The next time you are looking for a fun night out for you and your family to enjoy, check out Whit’s Frozen Custard of Portsmouth.