Last year we lost several local dining institutions including Karsh's Bakery, Monti's, Havana Cafe, and Mary Coyle's Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlour. We know we'll probably never see some of those bygone restaurants again, but there's at least hope for one of the sweetest shuttered spots.
Mike Stoffey, who owned Mary Coyle's for about three years before it closed, hopes to revive the ice cream shop in a new form. If he can gather enough money in the next few months, Stoffey plans to put a Mary Coyle's (New) Ol' Fashion Ice Cream truck on the Valley streets.
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Stoffey has launched a Kickstarter campaign for the ice cream truck and needs to raise $45,000 by Sunday, March 29 to make the truck happen.
The money will go toward purchasing a truck and outfitting it with freezers and other equipment, according to the Kickstarter. If the project gets funded, Stoffey hopes to have the truck on the road by Memorial Day.
For more than 60 years Mary Coyle's Ol' Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor served dessert and a side of nostalgia to Phoenicians. The restaurant, which opened in 1951, specialized in classic ice cream, made with 16 percent butterfat, and a old school selection of shakes, sundaes, and other frozen treats.
It changed hands in 2011 when Stoffrey, a long-time vendor, saved the spot from closure, but shuttered nevertheless last fall.
For more information check the Mary Coyle website or Kickstarter page.
