An iconic Dairy Queen location in North Carolina, standing for nearly 80 years, has been sold for $1.1 million with plans to keep it operating as the state’s oldest Dairy Queen.
The store at 2732 Wilkinson Boulevard, long owned by couple Lacy and Blenda Walters, was purchased in April by Khan & Singh Property Management LLC, according to Mecklenburg County property records and reports from The Charlotte Observer. Despite receiving higher offers, the Walters prioritized preserving the location’s legacy in the community.
“I hear it every day,” Lacy Walters told The Charlotte Observer. “Another company wanted the property and was offering us more money. But we felt like the community had been very good to us over the years and we owed it to them.”
Tariq Khan, owner of Khan & Singh Property Management in Charlotte, plans to make minor updates while honoring the Walters’ commitment to keep the historic Dairy Queen running.
Originally opened in 1947 by Preston and Irene Aaron, the location is recognized as a pioneer site that introduced Dairy Queen to the neighborhood. “This community has been very good to this Dairy Queen over the years,” Lacy said. “We certainly haven’t got rich, but I can tell you one thing — it’s been very good to us and we’ve enjoyed being here.”
Dairy Queen Faces Mass Closures in Texas Amid Franchise Disputes
While North Carolina celebrates the preservation of a historic Dairy Queen, Texas is seeing a wave of closures. In April, Dairy Queen shuttered 12 locations nationwide, including six in Texas cities such as Hemphill, Jasper, Kountze, Huntington, Longview Eastman, and Lufkin.
Though the closures appeared isolated, all six Texas locations were owned by the same franchisee. Dairy Queen declined to comment on contract specifics but described the shutdowns as “an isolated event.”
Court documents obtained by KETK reveal that the American Dairy Queen Corporation took action against Project Lone Star, which operated 38 Texas franchises, after 25 locations were closed in February. The corporation reportedly threatened to revoke franchise rights if the stores failed to meet required renovations to comply with brand standards.
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