After more than three years in Riverside, Malachi’s Ice Cream Bar is planning to close.
In a video shared on Instagram on June 2, Malachi’s owner Ashley Kendrick announced the pending closure to her customers and social media followers: “The dream for us in Riverside is coming to an end.”
When Malachi’s Ice Cream Bar will close
Kendrick said that she plans to close her Riverside ice cream shop at 1661 Riverside Ave., Suite 128, on July 31, and invited customers to come by for one last taste of Malachi’s handcrafted ice cream and booze-infused shakes, sorbets and more over the next several weeks.
In the video, she thanked all of her customers who have supported her and personally encouraged her over the last three years and looked forward to the future: “I’m excited for this journey, I’m excited for what’s next even more … It’s not over.”
What made Malachi’s different in Five Points
Named for her son, Malachi, the shop opened in April 2023 in the 1661 Riverside building, just two doors down from Einstein Bros. Bagels, a fixture in the neighborhood since 2008.
But it wasn’t just an ordinary ice cream shop.
In addition to an eclectic selection of ice cream flavors like Cookie Butter Crunch, Cookie Monster, Hurricane Charlie, Blueberry Cheesecake, Malachi’s offered waffle nachos, brownie sundaes, boozy shakes, sorbetmosas, lemon sorbetritas and other creations.
The shop’s upscale vibe set it apart from traditional ice cream shops, making it a date-night destination, a “girls night out” stop, or a place to catch up with an old friend.
Other ice cream shops in Riverside and Five Points
Malachi’s was one of two ice cream shops to open in the Five Points area of Riverside in April 2023. Also that month, Waffle Cone opened about five blocks away, at 822 Post St., offering three dozen flavors of hand-dipped and soft-serve ice cream served in waffle bowls and cones made fresh in the store daily.
Since then, Screaming Cat Ice Cream & Coffee opened at 2700 Park St., in the historic Whiteway Corner building, where it serves up 24 flavors of ice cream from Madison, Wisconsin-based Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream. And Ben & Jerry’s — one of the biggest names in ice cream — is nearing the opening of its third Northeast Florida shop at 1027 Park St.
And a mile in the opposite direction, in neighboring Brooklyn, St. Augustine-based Mayday Ice Cream operates one of its 16 scoop shops at 90 Riverside Ave., Suite 605.
For Kendrick, she’s at peace with her decision to close Malachi’s.
“God’s telling me to go, and it’s time to go. … Just stay tuned for whatever’s next.”
Through July 31, Malachi’s is open daily, 1 to 10 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Malachi’s Ice Cream Bar plans to close in Riverside after 3 years
Reporting by Gary T. Mills, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Gary T. Mills, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
