According to his daughter Colleen, every day before coming home for dinner, Paul Robichaud would stop at Louie’s Ice Cream in East Somerville. “I mean every single day, he would get a cone. And then one day he went to get his ice cream and Louie’s was closed.’’ This was 11 years ago. Until that day no one in his family knew about his sweet habit.

Robichaud, a lifelong East Somerville resident, called his business partner Robert, who also happens to be his brother. “My uncle goes, ‘We are not buying an ice cream store, Paul. Don’t even think about it,’’’ says Colleen. Two weeks later the previous owner accepted Paul’s offer.

“It wasn’t something we planned on doing. I think my dad felt more of a responsibility to the neighborhood. There are no real walk-up windows in the city anymore. And he really wanted to keep that tradition,’’ says Colleen, who now manages the ice cream shop. The Robichaud family owns two other businesses in the neighborhood, Joe’s Liquors and Robi Tool.

Though the Robichauds’ intention is to preserve the original character of Louie’s, Colleen has implemented some changes — like making their own slush. The family has talked about opening year-round, but currently the season lasts from May to September. “Being a seasonal business, it’s hard to make changes very quickly, because we don’t have the grace period to see if things are working. Once we are open, the season is in full swing,’’ she says.

The manager hopes to make their own ice cream at some point. “Maybe just start with vanilla,’’ she says. For now, they continue to serve local Richardson’s ice cream from Middleton. “You plan, and you dream up all these great ideas for the business, but we have been making changes. Every year, we do something small.’’

Colleen, who is 24 and grew up in the neighborhood, has seen the effects of gentrification firsthand. “I don’t want to say it’s a good thing, and I don’t want to say it’s a bad thing. It’s just a thing that’s happening,’’ she says. “It happens in a lot of neighborhoods, and it is sad to see families leave that have been here a long time, but at the same time there is a little bit of hope, because the businesses in the neighborhood are thriving more than they have in years.’’

Colleen believes her dad’s purchase was about more than getting his frozen-treat fix. “There are businesses in this area — places that have been open 40, 50 years — and my dad doesn’t want that local scene of long-running establishments, the privately owned small businesses, to all go out of business. He wants them to be around as long as they can.’’

Louie’s Ice Cream, 193 Broadway, Somerville, 617-776-6800.

catherine smart

Catherine Smart can be reached at cathjsmart@gmail.com.