CRESTLINE — Troy Sapp knew at a young age that he would one day run a business.
“My wife and I decided to buy Freezer Fresh,” he said. “It’s always been a life-long dream to own my business.”
Sapp said he and his high school sweetheart had planned on opening a business after working together on a DECA project.
In 2016, Sapp was diagnosed with colon cancer, and the diagnosis helped him realize life is short, he said.
“It made me realize I wanted to do something that I always wanted to do,” he said. “The opportunity came to buy Freezer Fresh, and we decided to give it a shot.”
The frozen treats and American food eatery, located at 820 W. Main St., has been a Crestline mainstay since 1953. Sapp said that made the business an obvious choice for his first try as a business owner.
“It’s in a small town. We want to be active in a small town like Crestline,” the Ontario resident said. “For a business to be around since the 1950s, it shows the community really helps support it. I thought it was a good one to start out with.”
Joe Kleinknecht, the president of the Crestline-Galion Chamber of Commerce, said he has been a patron of the shop since 1957.
“I’ve actually been coming here since 1957,” he said at Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for Freezer Fresh. “My wife is from Crestline and we used to come down here after school, so it’s a neat place and a good memory for me.”
Kleinknecht said many of the community members have fond memories of Freezer Fresh, and that makes it a sound investment for the Sapps.
“I think small businesses in small communities like this are a key to small communities,” Kleinknecht said. “When you think about things in Crestline, you think about the Freezer Fresh. You do. In terms of landmarks here in Crestline, this is certainly one of them.”
Sapp said the menu will stay the same as it has been for the past seven years, when it was owned by Michael Thompson, with one exception.
“We have a full-service kitchen, anything from burgers and fries to chicken and fish. Any type of ice cream you can imagine — soft-serve, flurries, parfaits,” the new owner said. “We have a new item this year called a ‘fat burger.’ It’s two quarter-pound patties with cheese. You can load it up with lettuce, tomato, bacon — anything you like.”
Freezer Fresh will stay open seasonally, closing in October.
