Dottie’s, a beloved and critically acclaimed gelato shop northwest of Houston in Tomball, has been “temporarily closed” for months. But as of Tuesday, owner Lorraine Featherston confirmed to Chron that she has finally closed the book on the business she and her dad built together. It is unfortunate then that the news comes days after its sign was stolen from the premises at 411 R W. Main St.
Dottie’s sign was taken sometime in the past few days, Featherston said, adding she noticed the sign was missing on Monday. She posted on social media about the theft with the hope that somebody would take responsibility and return it.
Featherston called the theft of Dottie’s sign “heartbreaking.” It is especially so given that the gelato shop’s closure coincided with the passing of Featherston’s father, Ernie Grandinetti, a year and a half ago.
Featherston’s decision to temporarily close Dottie’s came after her father’s death. The loss of her “best friend” coupled with a recent back surgery proved too insurmountable to continue on. Her life has changed as well. Her two sons and grandchildren live in New Braunfels and Dripping Springs. As soon as Grandinetti’s estate is settled, she will move closer to them.
Featherston and her staff had already packaged everything up by Monday. What she wasn’t keeping, she said, was going to Camp Hope, an interim housing program for military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. But she was hoping to take the sign with her, a wooden circle, painted black, with three white circles above a white cone at its center. It was like a family heirloom.
“I wanted to keep it [the sign],” Featherston said. “My daughter came up with the design. I made all my signs with my dad’s help, and we installed them together. My dad said he always loved that sign. It was one of those quirky things.”
Featherston and Grandinetti started Dottie’s on May 23, 2021. The gelato shop came about on a whim, she said. At the time, she was a carpenter and her father was busy with his various real estate investments, including the storefront at 411 R W. Main St. While putting up windows at the property, Grandinetti called Featherston over because he was bored. The two got to talking, decided they both liked cool treats and opted for gelato and Italian ice, since Grandinetti is a New York native. Why not start a business?
Featherston and Grandinetti named the store after her grandmother, Dorothy, who went by Dottie. She trained with an Italian company in order to make the gelato and Italian ice.
Customers were aghast at the news Dottie’s sign had been stolen and promised to keep their eyes open. In the meantime, Featherston said she’ll be taking a trip to visit her son who will soon be officially promoted to a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force.