Paoli Frozen Custard Store Closes Abruptly

The sign on the door says it in one simple word: "CLOSED". , the relatively new kid on the block on Lancaster Ave. at Paoli Village Shoppes has gone out of business.

Just after 6 p.m. Wednesday Jake's owner Missy Shaw would only tell Patch "I can't talk about it" as the store's dismantled walk-in freezer was being loaded onto a trailer at the back door.

The dismantled freezer and the newspaper covering the front and side glass doors seemed to indicate the shop, which featured Wisconsin classics like fried cheese curds, brats, and frozen custard, was closing for good.

Just after 9 p.m. Wednesday a posting from Missy Shaw on the Jake's Facebook page confirmed it:

I am sorry for the delay in letting all of you know that yes, Jake's is officially closed. Over the past ten months my team and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all of you! Thank you for the opportunity to be part of your community. I truly wish things had turned out differently. All the best to you and your families!

Before the Facebook posting, but after Shaw and the trailer bearing the walk-in freezer had gone their separate ways, customers who had no idea the store had closed continued to walk up to the doors.

Several read the handwritten "closed" sign and then tried to peer inside to see if it was a temporary or permanent closure.  A grandmother visiting her local granddaughters was disappointed to see the sign. She had brought the girls for dinner. "What now,"she wondered aloud, "the girls wanted 'real' ice cream."

Jake's opened last fall and was named in honor of Shaw's grandfather. .

Editor's Note: Missy Shaw has been an occasional blogger for Tredyffrin-Easttown Patch.