Now-closed Mary Coyle Ol’ Fashioned Ice Cream tried to resurrect its hot-fudge sundaes through a food truck Kickstarter campaign. Although the funding goal was not reached, the former owner said several brick-and-mortar locations have reached out to potentially house the ice-cream shop.
Mike Stoffey bought the 60-year-old shop on Seventh Street north of Camelback Road in 2011 and tried to bring it back to better days, he said. But maintaining a store its size was more than his business could afford. The shop closed October 2014.
“The square footage was just too much,” Stoffey said. “It didn’t make sense to stay there.”
Joshua Feig and his wife would go out late for ice cream at Mary Coyle.
“I remember every one of (the trips) fondly,” Feig said.
After the shop closed, Feig approached Stoffey about opening Mary Coyle again. Feig is the digital strategist for Air Integrated, a Phoenix-based marketing company.
The two decided that instead of opening another physical location, they would first try for a food truck. Stoffey said he had been thinking about opening a mobile truck for a few years, but the closing of Mary Coyle and meeting with Feig solidified his decision.
They turned to the crowdfunding site Kickstarter to fund their project, Feig said. Their campaign aimed to raise $45,000 to purchase and outfit a truck that would have opened by March 28.
Feig said that while the campaign garnered a lot of attention and a lot of support for the brand, it struggled to find monetary support. The Kickstarter campaign ended with more than a 100 backers but only garnered $13,265 pledged of its goal.
But it doesn’t look like Mary Coyle is out of options yet.
“Although our Kickstarter effort was ultimately unsuccessful, there will still be a future for Mary Coyle Ol’ Fashion Ice Cream,” Stoffey said in a statement at the end of the campaign. “Several locations have expressed an interest in having us as tenants, thanks to the strength of the Mary Coyle brand and the great ice cream it represents.”
Taylor Shaw, a fan of the shop, said she is glad Mary Coyle may open again.
“I think it’s great that they are trying to keep it open,” Shaw said. “I loved it as a kid and it’d be sad to see it go away completely.”
Contact the reporter at ctrowbri@asu.edu.
