Metro Detroit: Livonia’s Han D Dip Dairy Barn

This week is all about ice cream, specifically soft serve community ice cream stands. Every community has them, and in Livonia that would be Han D Dip Dairy Barn. The Han D Dip, also referred to as the Dairy Barn (because, well it’s a big red barn) is located on 5 Mile Rd just across the street from Livonia's City Hall. It is also right down the street from another iconic Livonia favorite, Bates Burgers at the corner of 5 Mile and Farmington.

Han D Dip was founded in 1963 by Stan and Eunice Hancock. However they only lasted 6 years before they put it up for sale in 1969 and Pete and Cathy Hanson became the new owners. Pete was also an insurance salesman and worked long hard hours to make it work and all that hard work paid off and it is still going strong today.

For many years Han D Dip was kept busy by students that went to school at Bentley High School, before it was shuttered in the summer of 1985. It was, and still is, a place where many local teens get their 1st jobs. I’m sure a few people reading this may have worked there.

Today, it is not uncommon to drive by on a warm summer evening and see 30 or more people waiting patiently in line.

It is places like the Han D Dip that bring back so many good memories of days gone by for a lot of people. I believe that is what makes them so successful. Well that and delicious Ice Cream.

I think the signs in the window are the same ones from when we were kids . . . except the prices have changed.

Han D Dip, like most ice cream stands, features the usual vanilla, chocolate and my favorite, the twist in soft serve. But they also serve other favorites like sundaes, flurries, banana splits and their iconic upside down banana split, shakes, malts, coolers and slushes. They also offer ice cream sandwiches and frozen chocolate covered bananas.