ADAMS -- A staple Hoosac Street ice cream parlor will continue its 17th summer season in a new location, when The Rainbow Shack moves to 85 Summer St. this month.
"We're going to be the same business in a new location with more places to sit," owner Paula Randall said Sunday while working on the business' new space with her husband, David.
The 16 Hoosac St. location -- the shop's first -- will close briefly from Saturday through next Monday so the business can get settled in at its new spot, and Paula plans to open on Summer Street on Tuesday, June 26.
Paula says the change in location won't alter her current offerings of 18 flavors of hard ice cream and 38 flavors of soft ice cream, as well as several other frozen desserts.
The idea of a change in venue for the ice cream shop had been under consideration for a couple years, Paula said, and her motivator was a need for more space.
"I just want our customers to be more comfortable," she said. "We were just small there is all. We loved it there, but it was just time for more room."
"The help is crowded, too," added David. The Rainbow Shack employs four people.
The new space will allow for both tables and booths, a significant increase over the two booths at Hoosac Street.
David also expects the Summer Street location to help on energy costs.
"The sun really beat in the windows [at Hoosac Street], and it was hard to cool," he said. "This place
Paula is hoping the change in venue and added seating will attract enough customers to support a new offering for the business: weekend hours during the winter.
"We'll give it a whirl and see what happens," she said. "Now that there are places to sit, people might come in after the summer's over."
The Rainbow Shack in previous years has opened in mid-April and closed in September. This year, Paula is tentatively planning on being open for weekends during the time of the year she has typically stayed closed.
Another change that comes with the Summer Street location is that the Randalls are now the owners of the business space rather than renters, as they currently are on Hoosac Street.
"We were actually looking for another place to rent," Paula said. "It all just fell into place." The Randalls looked at renting the nearby former Swanson's storefront, and discovered 85 Summer St. was for sale.
The $80,000 price tag arranged with former owner Dan Rose for the building certainly helped with the decision, she said.
"How do you pass that up?" Paula said.
David added that things fell together quickly for the purchase. The Randalls viewed the new space in late April, and just three days later, it was theirs, along with the two rental apartments above the store.
After opening at the Summer Street location, The Rainbow Shack's hours will be daily from 1 to 9:30 p.m., through the end of September. For more information, call 413-743-4031.
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