After a short-lived, though utterly fruitful run in Toronto, the shop behind some of the city’s best ice cream sandwiches has announced it is closing its doors.
A favourite among the Baby Point community and well beyond, Ernie’s Icebox was born out of the desire to craft the ultimate ice cream sandwich — and it’s safe to say that shop owner and founder, Julia Haist, succeeded.
Serving up her signature square sammies in flavours like Peanut Butter & Jam, Coconut Key Lime and Strawberry Rhubarb, to name only a few, Ernie’s very quickly ascended to city-wide fame as the go-to spot for a sweet treat on a sticky summer day.
What goes up must come down, though, and that old saying is holding especially true for Ernie’s Icebox, who recently took to Instagram to announce the impending closure of the charming Jane Street ice cream shop.
“Four years ago, I started working on a recipe for the ideal ice cream sandwich,” Julia writes in the caption of the post.
“More than anything, it was a distraction from the huge scary question marks that were both the future of the planet, and my own life path.”
She goes on to explain that, while Ernie’s was initially intended as a side hustly at best, it blossomed into something far greater than she could have ever expected, leading her, ultimately, to open up her shop back in 2021.
Despite the years of excitement, Julia goes on to explain that she feels they’ve “reached a natural end of the road for Ernie’s Icebox at 403 Jane Street,” and confirms the shop will be closing up for good at the end of November.
Owner Julia Haist of Ernie’s Icebox.
According to Julia’s caption, getting through the winter is always the hardest part of operating an ice cream brand (go figure), and some of the plans that had been laid to ensure a smooth season had fallen through last minute, leading the shop’s “mind-bogglingly generous” landlord, to offer her an out on her lease.
Sensing it was the best choice for Ernie’s, she took it, signalling the end of the ice cream shop — but, Julia stresses, this isn’t goodbye forever.
“This is the end of Ernie’s Icebox, the shop at 403 Jane Street; that sure as heck doesn’t mean you won’t be seeing us elsewhere in the near future, so please keep following,” she writes.
She concludes the statement by thanking each and every one of the people who’ve supported Ernie’s and its so-called “silly little ice cream sandwiches” over the years.
“Without all of you showing up and letting Ernie’s have a little spot in your lives, it would all be just a bunch of dairy, flour, sugar and eggs, and who knows where I would be. Jail, probably.”
Outside Ernie’s Icebox.
Ernie’s Icebox is located at 403 Jane Street.
