Licked, the tiny pink ice cream counter on Broadway in Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood, is melting away at the end of July after two years in business. The shop, opened by the owners of nearby gift store Strapping, will scoop its last cone on Friday, July 31. Neighbors say the closure leaves a gap on a stretch of Broadway that has slowly been coming back to life.
Susan Stewart, who runs the Strapping gift shop across the street, told KCRA the business "never really got off the ground," citing lower-than-expected walking traffic and nearby competition. KCRA also reported that single-scoop cones sold for $4 and that the owners set July 31 as the final day. The announcement, posted this week, sparked an outpouring of regret from neighboring merchants.
How Licked Started
Licked opened in 2024 as an effort to reactivate the block after the closure of a vegan gelateria, according to The Sacramento Bee. The Bee noted that owner Stewart sourced pints from Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream and framed Licked as a "love letter to Oak Park" meant to draw people back to Broadway. Coverage earlier this summer praised the shop’s playful flavors and bright interior, while also pointing out that it operated on a thin margin.
Competition And Neighborhood Context
The space at 3400 Broadway was once home to Conscious Creamery, and Licked was pitched as a way to keep neighbors walking past local storefronts, industry reporting in the Sacramento Business Journal said. Even so, owners and patrons told reporters the shop struggled to pull steady foot traffic in the shadow of established rivals like Gunther's. For a small counter with limited hours and a rotating case that holds only 16 flavors, that combination made profitability elusive.
Local Reaction
Nearby business owners said the news landed hard. "We're bummed," local retailers Hannah Emery and Joel Molina told KCRA, urging residents to keep supporting neighborhood shops. Online comments and community posts over the weekend echoed those concerns, with some regulars recalling inconsistent hours and others lamenting the loss of a place that felt intentionally local.
Stewart told earlier reporters that Licked was intended to boost the block, and she will now focus on her other neighborhood ventures, including Strapping, which will remain open. The Licked website still lists the Broadway address and hours for reference. As July 31 nears, Oak Park’s small-business community will be watching to see whether another tenant moves into the corner spot or it stays empty for a while.
