LACONIA — As Dairy Queen reopened its doors
this month, owners Michael and Michelle Merrill
are celebrating their 10th year in business at the
Union Avenue ice cream shop and their 14th year
of partnership with Meredith Village Savings Bank.
Over the past several months, the Merrills have
been building the new Dairy Queen structure with
commercial financing from MVSB. The new building,
which features a drive-through window, increased
floor space and the same two-window walk-up service,
replaces an older building that had stood on the
lot since the 1960s.
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to give the
business a fresh new face and expand on some of the
products we’ve been offering for years,” said Mike
and Michelle Merrill.
When the business reopened for the season, there were
a few more menu items to choose from. In addition to softserve
ice cream, Blizzards, and other traditional “DQ”
treats, there were also be hot dogs and fruit smoothies by
Orange Julius, a popular mall-based franchise.
The Merrills started their first business in 1996,
when they purchased the Lake Shore Deli on Route
25 in Meredith with financing from MVSB. In 2001,
they began leasing that property to other small
business owners and went into business again in
Laconia with the Dairy Queen purchase.
“When we first came to MVSB in 1996, we worked
with Sam Laverack,” said Mike Merrill. Now president
and CEO and a 34-year veteran of the bank, Laverack
was a commercial lender for MVSB for several years.
They’ve been working with John Swedberg, vice president/
commercial lender at MVSB for the past 10 years.
“It all started with a handshake and it’s grown into
a rewarding partnership that has allowed us to grow
and expand well beyond our initial business goals,”
said Merrill. “We’re really comfortable with John and
know him and his family very well too. Our kids play
basketball together and we’ve come to develop a close
and trusting working relationship over the years.”
The Merrills are excited about the re-opening of
their business and,
looking even further into the
future, see the possibility of opening an additional
Dairy Queen location in the Lakes Region.
“As always, we’ll run it past John and see what
he thinks,” said Merrill. “There’s a lot to be said for
working with a community bank with people you can
trust. When we come in with new ideas, we know we’ll
always get a straight answer, an honest opinion and a
recommendation that’s in our best interests.”
More information about the bank can be found at
www.mvsb.com.