Arps Dairy Opens New Retail Shoppe

Have a yearning for a refreshing Arps Dairy product or something more? 

There’s a perfect place in Defiance. 

Arps Dairy Gift Shoppe has opened at 136 Fox Run Dr., Defiance. It is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Wednesday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Tina VanderMade, co-owner of Arps Dairy, said that the idea for a retail outlet for their products has been in the back of her and others' minds for a while.

“That (idea) morphed into the gift shoppe,” she said. “I’m beyond thrilled with how well it’s turned out.”

The shoppe opened on June 3. Word of the retail outlet’s opening mostly has been spread by word of mouth so far. 

“I jokingly said if we get at least 5-10 people I would be thrilled,” VanderMade remarked. “We had around 100 people (the other day). I was super happy with the amount of people we had.”

The retail outlet offers a range of Arps products and more.

In addition to milk, the shop offers items including chip dip, cottage cheese and sour cream. Any soft serve mix products need to be ordered at least 24-hours ahead of time.

“We have some other products that we don’t produce but our milk is in,” VanderMade explained. “We also will be having cheese curds and various other items.”

One example of a product that Arps Milk goes in is Sanders Chocolates. The chocolates are another of the items sold at the shop. 

It’s just not food that is available.

“We have Jelly Bellies to clothing and household decorations for walls. We have a little bit of everything out there,” VanderMade said. “We’ve got Arps sweatshirts and T-shirts. We will be getting thermos and insulated mugs.”

With the changing of the seasons, there also will be special items. Arps Eggnog will be seasonal in the store, for example.

“At Christmas time, we hope to do a package with chip dip, sour cream and more as a gift pack,” VanderMade added. 

While Arps Dairy is known for its locally-produced milk, other items in the new shop may also be local.

“We do have a couple of local people who have reached out. We hope to have some of their products,” VanderMade said.

“Our hope is that this will be a place you can come (and find something) for the person who has everything,” she added. 

One great trademark of Arps is the cow statue. While there is one located in front of the dairy’s current building at the corner of North Clinton and High Streets, a new one greets visitors to the gift shop.

The cow statue at the shop is currently bright red.

“The cow is not going to stay that color. We’re not sure yet what kind of skin we’ll give her – if we’ll run another competition like the one on Clinton Street,” VanderMade explained. 

The cow at the Clinton Street location will be staying there until after Arps Dairy moves completely to its new headquarters at the Fox Run building.

“We hope to have everything moved out here in a year,” she said. 

Meanwhile, VanderMade and others are working to make sure Arps and its new gift shop remain in people’s minds.

“This fall we hope to have an open house with a petting zoo, free ice cream and things like that,” she said. “Our plans are also to go to the fair so if they haven’t made it to the store they can check out our products there as well.”

For more information or to see what Arps Dairy Gift Shoppe has to offer, swing by 136 Fox Run in Defiance and see what is available.

Get a Quick Tour of the New Store By Watching this Video: