Closed.
That's what the sign on the door of Aunt Stelle's Sno-Cones in Oak Cliff says.
And although the beloved snow cone shack did not open in 2017, fans hoped the seasonal shop would reopen around this time in 2018. A Facebook post confirms it will not:
"We all knew this day would come," reads the post. "Thanks for the memories. May God Bless each and every one of y'all. You all will remain in our hearts forever." The Facebook post is signed in part by Freda Lee Albert and Ed Schwartz, some of the family members behind Aunt Stelle's Sno-Cones.
The snow-cone stand has been an Oak Cliff institution. It launched in 1962 and is named after Albert's mother Estelle "Stelle" Williams, our reporter Marc Ramirez wrote in 2017.
When it opened way back when, a small snow cone cost a nickel.
And used to be, Aunt Stelle's was a guaranteed cold treat. We wrote in a 2001 Dallas Morning News story: "Families come and go. Businesses open and close. Few things, it seems, can be counted on anymore. But like the red and pink blooms of azalea bushes and the cheerful chatter of crickets, the reappearance of Aunt Stelle's Sno-Cones after a six-month winter hibernation is one of those certainties."
Not anymore. No more Pink Lady snow cones, a flavor that tasted like homemade vanilla ice cream. And no more wistful spot for customers, mostly kids, to grab an icy treat on a hot Texas day at 2002 W. Clarendon St. in Dallas.
Back in 1984, Albert explained the seasonality of Aunt Stelle's, which seems like even more of a bummer now: "There's always next year," she was quoted as saying in The Dallas Morning News as the shop was closing up for the year. "Just as long as you've got sunshine without rain, you're going to have people standing in line to get snow cones."
Commenters on Facebook are already sharing stories and well-wishes for the place that's possibly older than they are. Says Patricia Rodriguez: "Thanks for being part of my life my whole life."
The owners couldn't be immediately reached for comment. But give a call to the Aunt Stelle's number and it carries a year-old message that seems a lot more somber now.
"I'm sorry, but we are closed for the 2017 season," it says. And then a sad pause. "Thank you."
More photos of Aunt Stelle's Sno-Cones
