Rita's opens in downtown Somerville

 

SOMERVILLE - The bright, bold colors on the freshly-painted walls inside the new Rita’s in downtown Somerville mimic the colors of the custards and Italian ice on the menus of sweet treats that are posted behind the bright white counter and glass-top freezer  inside the front door.

Nestled inside the freezer are dozens of canisters filled with more than one dozen flavors of Italian ice – cherry, tangerine, mango, peach, lemon and others - made fresh daily with real fruit  including the new Swedish Fish Italian Ice; behind the counter are the soft-serve custard machines, which pump out swirls of creamy frozen custard served the old-fashioned way, in cups and cones. Rita’s also serves its signature Misto shakes, Gelatis and Blendinis, all made to order – not to mention the Ritaccino, a frozen coffee drink and the fat-free soft-serve Slenderita.

Located at 54 W. Main Street on the corner of Maple Avenue in the historic Gaston Building, the newest member of the Somerville Business and Professional  Association opened for business on Aug. 15 and they’ve had a steady stream of customers coming through the door ever since.  Many of them sit down to enjoy their ices and ice cream at the tables inside, or  and watch the traffic pass by on Main Street sitting on the high stools that line the counter inside the storefront window.

Rita’s is owned by Steven and Doris Zampella, and they’re no strangers to the business, as they have owned and operated the Rita’s in Bridgewater at 1359 Prince Rogers Avenue for five years. They had purchased the old Rita’s in Somerville, located alongside the Pathmark Supermarket at the former Somerville Shopping Plaza, and planned to open on Main Street when the new development planned for that stretch of Main Street opened, but tired of waiting, they opted instead to find another location.

Their two franchises are among the 570 nationwide that grew from the original store first opened in Philadelphia by a city fireman in 1984. Corporate headquarters are located in Trevose, Pa.

“When we had the opportunity to buy this Rita’s, we knew it would be terrific,” said Doris Zampella. “We know what a great town Somerville is and we know Rita’s; this is the greatest town around, the merchants are involved, and there’s great exposure for the store. You’ve got the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Tour of Somerville, the Spring Spectacular street fair, Cruizer Nights, the jazz concerts, the Arts & Main street fair in October . . . I mean, how many towns have all that,” she added. 

The store is in the space formerly occupied by What’s In The Ice Box, which has moved across the street to 4 West Main Street next door to the Wells Fargo Bank.

The Zampellas say Rita’s will remain open year ‘round. “We don’t anticipate closing for one day,” said Steve Zampella. The couple is optimistic they’ll become a magnet for the entire community.

“There’s not a lot of places for the high school kids from Somerville and Immaculata to hang out; after a football game at night, where do they go? We hope they’ll be coming here,” he added. The Zampellas look forward to supporting the community and becoming involved in fund raising activities for charities, schools, and non-profit organizations.

“Rita’s provides an ingredient that had been missing for years in downtown Somerville,” said Kevin Cahill, president of the SBPA. “We’re delighted to welcome the Zampellas to Somerville and we have no doubt they will succeed.”

Hours through Labor Day are noon-10 p.m. daily; after Labor Day, Rita’s will be open noon-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, and noon-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Call (908) 450-7164 for further information or check out the website at ritasfranchises.com/somerville.