Sweet return: Former owners plan to reopen White Cottage

The couple who for two decades maintained the White Cottage ice cream shop on Lebanon Avenue as a local institution will reopen it this spring.

The business at 102 Lebanon Ave. did not reopen after last winter, and it appeared it had closed for good. But Tom and Diedre Cordie, who sold the White Cottage in 2001 after running it for 23 years, bought back the foreclosed property in October and hope to reopen by March.

Mayor Mark Eckert is happy the owners are bringing back the business, which he calls a Belleville landmark. He hopes the business, which first opened in 1947, will help lift up the neighborhood.

"While it's a small business, it's a very big deal for Belleville," Eckert said.

The City Council will vote Monday on economic incentives to help with the business' $55,000 project to improve the parking lot and curbs, and install a retaining wall and extra cooler.

The proposed incentives include $3,500 in sales tax abatement on materials used to complete the project and reimbursement of 50 percent of the incremental property taxes for five years.

To keep the incentives, the business must spend the money planned for the project and create two full-time jobs and eight part-time jobs within the first year, then additional part-time jobs within the next several years. Also, either White Cottage or its successor must operate a business at the site for at least 10 years.

After the Cordies bought the business in 1978, it eventually became a destination for people who loved the camaraderie as much as the ice cream. But the business grew too quickly, so the Cordies sold it in 2001 -- a decision they regretted.

"This is what we've always done, and we missed it," Diedre Cordie said. "It'll be nice to see everybody again."

Tom Cordie said that since 2001, the ice cream recipes and customer service have slipped.

The Cordies said they will bring back some of their original homemade recipes, such as Cherry Garden ice cream and Watermelon sorbet. The shop also will be a full-service restaurant, with items such as burgers and fish sandwiches on the menu.

At one time, the Cordies owned two ice cream shops in Belleville and one in Fairview Heights. For now, they plan stick to the Lebanon Avenue location, but they may consider opening a second location in the west end of Belleville in a year.

Tom Cordie said he knows the slowed economy presents a tough climate in which to open a small business, but he's hoping a loyal customer base will help, and he is up for the challenge.

He said his friends think he's crazy, but his former customers are "elated."

"In a way, it's going to be like starting over for me," he said. "Who gets a second chance to do something like this and want to do it?"

Contact reporter Laura Girresch at lgirresch@bnd.com or 239-2507.