New ice cream shop serves up sweet success in Lakeville

Owner Bill Colgan said the redesign of the former Chinese food restaurant at 343 Main Street was intended to be welcoming for guests of Grassland Dessert Café.
Provided
Owner Bill Colgan said the redesign of the former Chinese food restaurant at 343 Main Street was intended to be welcoming for guests of Grassland Dessert Café.
LAKEVILLE — Grassland Dessert Café has been slammed since a not-so-soft launch on May 31, filling a clearly-needed niche in Lakeville and bringing back the timeless atmosphere of an ice cream parlor.
“The reception from the community has been unbelievable,” said founder and owner Bill Colgan.
Colgan said that while opening an ice cream shop has been a dream since his childhood, what really matters to him is for the confectionery to become a place for people to come together.
“Community is the one word of what we do… it’s about all those connections that are made,” he said.
He recalled one afternoon when an older couple enjoyed some cones in the store, and while on their way out they ran into some old friends they hadn’t seen for a long time and ended up staying another half hour at their table.
“To me, that really is the measure of success right there,” Colgan said. “These people had a conversation they might have never had if we hadn’t been there.”
Since unfurling the open sign, Colgan said that business has been steady, rain or shine, even keeping staff scooping ice cream until 9 p.m. one on occasion while they’ve usually been trying to close by 7 or 8 p.m. Colgan said a grand opening is upcoming and will announce official hours, which he anticipates being seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a quick breather on Monday morning, when the shop will open at 3 p.m.
Colgan explained that the redesign of the building at 343 Main Street in downtown Lakeville was intended to promote a welcoming atmosphere. Formerly housing a Chinese food restaurant and several apartments, Colgan said it had been vacant for 15 years and was a “real eyesore in the town.”
Teaming up with Norfolk carpenters and twin brothers Mike and Scott Sinclair – “we like to do the strange and unusual,” Colgan said – the trio transformed the 150 year old building into a friendly and welcoming space for the community, including the reinstallation of a big porch which was part of the building a century ago but had disappeared over the years.
The porch lends a nostalgic familiarity to the space, Colgan said, reminiscent of a kind of homely Americana that says, “Welcome, come on in.”
“It’s a beautiful building now but it was hard to see that three years ago,” said Colgan, explaining that he enlisted the assistance of a Broadway designer, a connection from his days working as a stagehand on Broadway and at Madison Square Garden.
While Colgan is proud of the building and the goods it serves, which includes drip coffee and espresso beverages, gelato, baked goods, smoothies, and other treats besides the obvious hard and soft serve ice cream, he said that the story of the Café does not belong to just him, but to the community. In addition to working closely with local business and tradespeople — “the core of the community,” in his words — the parlor’s staff is almost entirely comprised of local high schoolers from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, The Hotchkiss School, Salisbury School, Berkshire School, Webutuck High School and others.
Despite a warning from a fellow hospitality business owner, Colgan said “We decided to go the youth route instead of more experienced, and it was the 100% absolutely right decision.”
Chloe Hill serves in front of the Class of ‘26 balloons.
FALLS VILLAGE — Lakeview High School varsity volleyball won in straight sets at Housatonic Valley Regional High School Thursday, Oct. 16.
It was senior night for HVRHS, celebrating the team’s athletes from the Class of 2026: Victoria Brooks, Chloe Hill, Neve Kline, Abby Sherwood, Katie Crane and Anna Gilette.
The win put Lakeview in 4th place in Berkshire League standings with a record of 7-10. HVRHS moved to 5-10 and sat in 5th place.
Housatonic Valley Regional High School cross country runners competed in the cold and windy Berkshire League championship at Black Rock State Park in Thomaston Thursday, Oct. 16. HVRHS had three runners medal at the meet, each of whom earned BL second team honors. From left, Olivia Brooks placed 11th, Hannah Johnson placed 17th and Finn Malone placed 18th.
The boys soccer team celebrates Anthony Labbadia’s game-winning goal Oct. 16.
FALLS VILLAGE — Housatonic Valley Regional High School boys varsity soccer defeated rival Lakeview High School 1-0 on Thursday night, Oct. 16.
The deadlocked game was scoreless for more than 70 minutes of play until Anthony Labbadia found the back of the net with just seven minutes remaining.
Hundreds were in attendance for the rare Falls Village night game that was made possible by gas-powered lights arranged around the soccer field. Parents filled the hill above the field while students lined the track to cheer on their peers, drowning out the hum produced by the lights.
The win put HVRHS in 2nd place in Berkshire League standings with a record of 9-3-1. Lakeview remained in 5th place at 7-6-1.
HVRHS’s Lyla Diorio stops on a dime to keep the ball in play in the game against Lakeview Oct. 16.
LITCHFIELD — Housatonic Valley Regional High School girls varsity soccer took home a 3-1 win over Lakeview High School on Thursday, Oct. 16.
The game was played on a chilly fall day, about 50 degrees and windy with clear blue skies above.
Lakeview applied pressure with three shots early in the game that were each saved by HVRHS goalie Vi Salazar. Housatonic quickly established possession control and took a 2-0 lead by halftime.
Lakeview scored about 10 minutes into the second period. HVRHS added to its lead with 13-minutes remaining for the win.
Housatonic’s goals were scored by Ava Segalla, Lyla Diorio and Georgie Clayton. Lakeview’s’ goal was scored by Grace Olson.
HVRHS’s record remained in 3rd place in the Berkshire League with a record of 12-3. Lakeview moved to 6th place with a 5-9 record.