The Scoop on Isabella’s Ice Cream: Future Plans as 4th Ave Store Closes

Local ice cream company Isabella’s Ice Cream is undergoing rapid restructuring.

“We’re changing our retail model,” said Kristel Johnson, co-owner at Isabella’s Ice Cream.

While the company recently grew in various markets, they are now focusing more on what they started with — Southern Arizona wholesale, catering, and the ice cream truck. They’ve relocated their base of operations to 960 E. 17th St., where Presta Coffee Roasters also operates. The shared location may result in collaborative events.

The scoop shop — located at 210 N. Fourth Ave. — will close soon based on when the replacement tenant will be able to take over the space. The replacement tenant, Desert Dream Ice Cream, is of no relation to Isabella’s Ice Cream. Additionally, their original plan for a Mercado San Agustin location will not come to fruition.

Instead, the company is expanding with “mini-shops.” Small retail fronts are in the works for the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The respective businesses will handle all on-site management and operations of the storefronts, while Isabella’s will focus on providing the ice cream.

The American Eat Co. location will remain in operation. Furthermore, customers will still be able to find packaged Isabella’s Ice Cream at resorts, the Loft, and local markets where they have been purchasing the ice cream.

For more information, visit isabellasicecream.com.