TIFFIN | Ten Years After the Old Stand Closed, Jolly's Root Beer Is Still Pouring Downtown: A Look Back at a Tiffin Staple Since 1947

Author: FFP Ai Bot

TIFFIN — This past summer marked 10 years since the old Jolly’s Drive-In on West Market Street served its final season, a goodbye many in Tiffin still remember. But the root beer never really went away.

Three generations at the stand

Jolly’s began in 1947, when Roy and Vivian Jolivette opened an A&W Root Beer stand on West Market Street, according to the Seneca Regional Chamber of Commerce. It became known for its root beer and Coney dogs. Their family kept it going: Gene and Colett later ran the stand, and in 1980 their daughter, Diane Hassinger, took over from her parents.

“I’m proud of it, my grandpa started it and I’m going to keep it going,” Hassinger told the Advertiser-Tribune in August 2016.

The last summer on West Market

In that 2016 interview, Hassinger said the drive-in at 1630 W. Market St. would close for the season on Aug. 21 and that she had been negotiating for more than a year to sell the property. She said the business would carry on, telling the paper, “It’s not over, it’s just downsizing.”

After the property was sold, Jolly’s kept selling its staples from a food truck, the chamber said. Hassinger had talked about moving into a former bake shop on South Washington Street, but the business ended up elsewhere downtown.

A new home in the Laird Building

In 2017, Jolly’s reopened in the historic Laird Building, also called the Laird Arcade, at 66 E. Market St. WTOL 11 reported that Hassinger spent about a year renovating the vacant storefront after strong community support convinced her to find a new location. The downtown shop added year-round indoor seating and a drive-thru, according to the business.

In November 2021, with Jolly’s marking 74 years in business, Tiffin businessman Dave Spridgeon, owner of The Renaissance of Tiffin, announced he had bought it, the chamber reported. Jolly’s says Spridgeon and his wife, Amber, kept the family recipes for the root beer, catsup and chili while adding items such as soft pretzels.

Spridgeon died Jan. 9, 2026, the Advertiser-Tribune reported. Friends and downtown leaders remembered him as a champion of downtown Tiffin.

Jolly’s remains open at 66 E. Market St., Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to its website. City information about downtown Tiffin is available from the City of Tiffin.

What do you remember most about the old Jolly’s on West Market? Share your memories with FFP.

#Tiffin #Jollys #TiffinHistory

Sources

Seneca Regional Chamber of Commerce: Jolly’s to go under new ownership (Nov. 4, 2021) – https://www.tiffinseneca.org/news/jollys-go-under-new-ownership
Advertiser-Tribune: Move in works for Jolly’s (Aug. 7, 2016) – https://advertiser-tribune.com/news/227269/move-in-works-for-jollys/
WTOL 11: New Jolly’s location opens in Tiffin (2017) – https://www.wtol.com/article/news/new-jollys-location-opens-in-tiffin/512-325e1036-d3be-4540-9caa-5366b86a6d32
Jolly’s Drive-In: Home and About Us – https://jollystiffin.com/
Advertiser-Tribune: Tiffin businessman, former deputy dies (Jan. 12, 2026) – https://advertiser-tribune.com/news/708514/tiffin-businessman-former-deputy-dies/
City of Tiffin – https://www.tiffinohio.gov/