Ice cream shop serves as sign of hope in West Liberty following tornado

You could call the Freezer Fresh "a staple" in West Liberty.

"People that grow up here and move away, they come back. This is what they want to come back to" said Janet Franklin, former owner.

However, on March 2, 2012, Mother Nature destroyed the local ice cream shop. A tornado flattened the building.

"You didn't have time to get scared," Franklin said. "It was over within five minutes. It was amazing."

Despite the damage, owners of the Freezer Fresh wanted to re-open quickly. Just months after the tragedy, they welcomed back customers.

"Everybody said they didn't care if the banks went back or anything as long as the Freezer Fresh was here. That is all they wanted," Franklin said.

Five years later, you can still tell the Freezer Fresh holds a special place in many hearts. It serves as a reminder of how the community bounced back.