Downtown Sacramento ice cream favorite Devil May Care to close permanently
Devil May Care, a popular ice cream parlor known for its creative flavors, will permanently close in downtown Sacramento after this weekend.
The shop at 710 K St. announced on social media Thursday that it would be shutting its doors after being unable to pay back expenses that built up during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a detailed post on Instagram, store ownership shared that the parlor was served with eviction papers after being unable to meet rent costs, and chose to close the business rather than “fight a battle we cannot win.”
“We wanted to see if we could make ice cream that people liked, make a bit of money for our staff, and have fun in the process,” owner Jess Milbourn wrote in the social media post. “I think you liked the ice cream, we made enough money to keep our staff paid, and we had some fun. I call that a success. It’s been a good run.”
Devil May Care first opened in West Sacramento in 2016, with Milbourn’s entire family involved in the business. It opened a second location on K Street in Downtown, and then shut the West Sacramento location during the COVID-19 pandemic as business slowed and costs grew.
The ice cream parlor is wildly popular among Sacramento residents — for two consecutive years, Bee readers overwhelmingly voted it the best ice cream shop in the city. It has a significant social media following, with people across the capital region tuning in to see their ever-changing menu of eclectic flavors.
It’s the first business to close on the ground floor of The Hardin, a 137-unit mixed-use apartment building that launched in 2018 along 7th and K streets following Golden 1 Center’s opening.
After Devil May Care’s Thursday announcement, residents flooded the shop’s social media comments to lament the closure. Many recounted the neighborhood and family feel the parlor created, first in West Sacramento and then in downtown during the pandemic.
Devil May Care will remain open Thursday through Saturday, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., before closing its doors.
This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 12:40 PM.