With its rounded exterior and bright, pink-trimmed roof, it’s hard to miss decades-old Loard’s Ice Cream, which is located within an otherwise ordinary shopping plaza in Oakland’s Dimond District.
The legendary ice cream brand, which has a San Leandro factory and is available in grocery stores across the region, continues to operate 11 Bay Area shops that began with its historic Oakland flagship store. In early June, the ice cream parlor at 2825 MacArthur Blvd. reopened following a nearly five-year closure that started in 2020. Winnie Tam and Willis Yu, who own a real estate agency in the same shopping plaza, recall observing the dated building shortly after it closed, hoping it would make a comeback. Two months ago, the husband-and-wife duo decided to take matters into their own hands, reviving the parlor just in time for its 75th anniversary.
“So many people have driven by, waiting to see the doors open,” said Tam, Loard’s Dimond branch co-owner. “Everyone just knows this location and this ice cream, especially if you’re from Oakland.”
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