Springfield's first DQ franchise shop closing

After 66 years in business, the owners of the Dairy Queen franchise in downtown Springfield are planning to close the restaurant Friday.

Co-owner Julie Rohr said she and her husband, Lester, are retiring and decided to close the 307 S. Jefferson Ave. eatery.

"It's kind of sad for me," Rohr said, noting the couple isn't involved in any other franchises. "I really hate to close; the time has come."

Rohr said Missouri State University - which operates its Kenneth E. Meyer Alumni Center across the street and the Jim D. Morris Center for Continuing Education next door - has expressed an interest in purchasing the roughly 0.07-acre property, which the Rohrs own. An MSU spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

Though Rohr said she is willfully selling the property, she declined to disclose further details, saying a deal hasn't been finalized. According to the Greene County assessor's Web site, the property's 2012 appraised value is $291,000.

Rohr's father, Ralph "Bud" Bergstrom, was the first Springfield franchisee for Dairy Queen. In 1946, he opened the city's first Dairy Queen at the corner of Glenstone Avenue and Sunshine Street, and in 1968 relocated it to its current downtown location.

Bergstrom died in 2006 at the age of 89.

Rohr, who said she was "born into the business," worked at both locations, and her husband came on board in 1989.

"I really enjoy my work. This is the only job I've ever had," she said. "I'll really miss all the people and everything."

[[In-content Ad]]