It's the end of an era for New York City's wildly popular Big Gay Ice Cream.
The original East Village location has closed its doors for good. It was the first brick-and-mortar store for the colorful ice cream shop, once flanked by customers who would stand in long lines for creative flavors and toppings.
The first store had been closed since last March due to the coronavirus pandemic. If it had stayed open, the East Village location would have hit its 10-year anniversary this fall.
Co-founders Bryan Petroff and Doug Quint attribute their decision partially to the coronavirus pandemic, but they also cite the slowdown in business along East 7th Street.
"We decided that even if the shop managed to make it through 'the COVID thing' it would never truly recover. We need to be able to jam customers in during the summer to make enough money to get us through the off season. That won’t work anymore. Knowing that the usual fall semester student rush won’t be coming this year we have decided to call it," Quint and Petroff wrote in a statement to EV Grieve.
The West Village and Upper West Side stores have reopened after closing temporarily due to the pandemic.
