‘I am so heartbroken’: 100-year-old ice cream shop in Concord temporarily closes

A beloved ice cream shop that’s been open for 100 years in Concord is closing its doors — for now.

Cabarrus Creamery, which opened back in 1923, announced it’s closing this weekend because of ongoing development in the area.

“The sad reality is, our business has been struggling due to the street closures and the construction all around us,” the team announced on social media. “We have come to the hard realization we can not survive winter, with the current conditions in downtown Concord.”

The 1950’s style shop, with over 25 flavors of ice cream, has long been a staple in the community. The announcement sparked dozens of comments from local residents saddened by the news.

“I am so heartbroken. The Cabarrus Creamery is some of the best parts of just about everyone’s memories/family times here in Cabarrus County,” one resident, Terri McKercher Griffith, commented on Cabarrus Creamery’s Facebook post. “There is nothing more valuable than what you have brought to our Cabarrus community.”

Construction in downtown Concord

All year long, crews have been working on The Downtown Streetscape project, one of many development projects planned in downtown Concord.

The plan includes a long list of updates to the area, including new sidewalks, parking spaces, landscaping, decorative lighting, updated utilities, and space allotted for public art and outdoor restaurants.

“It will incentivize the creation of outdoor cafes, adding life to the street and changing its perception, especially at night,” the Downtown Concord website says. “The increased foot traffic and street life will attract new restaurants/nightlife and retailers, and make reuse of now-vacant upper stories more attractive to office and residential uses. The new streetscape will also increase property values and redevelopment opportunities downtown.”

Construction started on Market Street and reached Union Street South back in February, but the project isn’t expected to be completed until mid-2024.

Cabarrus Creamery will be closing on Sunday, Nov. 26, but the team did say they hope to reopen the ice cream shop in the spring.

We’ve reached out to Cabarrus Creamery for more details.

Keep an eye on this space for updates on what’s next.

Cabarrus Creamery

Location: 21 Union St S #5009, Concord, NC 28025

Menu

Cuisine: Ice cream, dessert

Instagram: @cabarrus_creamery

Chyna Blackmon

The Charlotte Observer

Chyna Blackmon was a service journalism reporter for The Charlotte Observer. A native of the Carolinas, she grew up in Columbia, SC, and graduated from Queens University of Charlotte. She’s also worked in local television news in Charlotte, NC, and Richmond, VA. Support my work with a digital subscription