Muscular Brett Williams - real-estate investor, wrestling coach, and ice-cream entrepreneur - has been working on the property for nine months to create a venue that will sell both pizza - by the slice or whole pies - and soft-serve treats, including milkshakes, sundaes and dipped cones.
Williams purchased at least half of the equipment that the McMurrays used during their long tenure at this location, which has almost iconic status in the Northeast: The business opened July 4, 1952, as the fifth Dairy Queen in the Kansas City metro. Since the first four Dairy Queens have been razed, the red-and-white building on Independence Avenue remains a relic of Kansas City's soft-serve history. Esther McMurray, who began working in this building as an employee in 1964 (she later bought the business from the original owners), achieved official royal status when she was honored by the neighborhood and then-Mayor Funkhauser in 2009. The McMurrays later lost their DQ franchise.
Brett Williams and his wife, Janelle, are residents of the historic Northeast and are active in the community (Brett coaches wrestling for Della Lamb Community services).
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