Laura and Jimmy Walker are expected to sell The Marketplace on Farm-to-Market Road 279 in Edom after owning the restaurant and market for six years. Paul Bryant Photo EDOM — The owners of a popular restaurant here are negotiating with an unnamed potential buyer to sell what’s been a mainstay among the town’s other three eateries.

“We’re just going to have someone come in and transition where we’ve left off,” Laura Walker said. “We don’t want any noticeable changes. Everything is going to remain as it is right now, except for the ice cream.”

A small, one-room building that once stood near The Marketplace has been moved to a lot owned by Jeff Gottesman on Farm-to- Market Road 279 in Edom. Named “Rockin Robin Ice Cream,” the store will sell the same gourmet ice cream served at The Marketplace.

“We’re taking the ice cream recipes with us,” Walker said. “We are going to feature not only our gourmet ice cream but also hand-dipped ice cream for sundaes, shakes, bananna splits, and all that good stuff.”

Rockin Robin, as the name suggests, will be a 50s-style shop, Walker said. Customers will be able to eat ice cream on a deck with tables in front of the store.

“It’s going to be a very fun atmosphere, and it will be a good place for families to come.”

Gottesman, who owns JeffreyLance Photography at The Old Firehouse, said he was about to start looking for someone to fill the vacant lot when Walker contacted him about the ice cream shop.

“I was about to place an ad on Craigslist for someone with a shaved ice stand or building that could easily be moved onto my lot,” he said. “Just a day before I placed that ad, Laura contacted me with her idea. She already had the small, portable building, and it was perfect.”

Walker signed a 12-month lease on the property.

“She is a wonderful person and she definitely knows her end of the business. Her ice cream is well known in this area and leasing her the lot will be a perfect addition to our downtown area. This was something Edom was missing.”

Dixie Taylor operated a women’s accessories shop in the building before it was moved.

Walker and her husband, Jimmy, have owned The Marketplace since 2004, taking it from a produce and gourmet market into a full restaurant known for its ice cream, chicken salad, and other food. They’re selling so they can focus on their family.

“My family needs me more than that restaurant does,” Walker said. “It has been such a privilege to do this. We hope through the transition, all of our customers will continue to come and enjoy the same good food.”

Rockin Robin, the Walkers said, is expected to open by April in Edom on April 17. During the summer, it will remain open as late as 9 p.m.