This Oak Park ice cream salon is closing after two years in business. Here’s why
Licked, the Oak Park parlor serving “super premium” ice cream at 3400 Broadway, will close at the end of the month, as announced on social media by owner Susan Stewart. She came to the decision after the summer season got off to a lackluster start.
“June being Pride Month, I thought we’d have a great start off to the summer, and it just was kind of a flop. July is kind of looking the same. My lease is up pretty soon, so I just decided this is probably the best time to just call it quits and focus on my retail business, Strapping,” she said.
Stewart retains the lease on the Sacramento property, but decided it was better to simply pay the rent rather than supporting the overhead of staff and inventory. She noted that ice cream is highly seasonal, and after August, business tapers off considerably.
While she is able to carry the lease, her landlord, Ron Vrilakis of Groen, has expressed willingness to help her find a way to exit. Vrilakis is also the landlord for Strapping, which is across the street from Licked.
“I do have a really nice landlord. We had a big conversation about it, and he wants something to succeed there. He wants Oak Park to succeed. So, he was like, you tell me when you want to call it quits, and I’ll get you out of that lease,” Stewart said.
Stewart opened Strapping, a home and gift store, in Oak Park on April 1, 2017, and it remains her flagship business. She did expand operations, opening a second Strapping in midtown at 1731 L St. in March 2020, shortly before the pandemic lockdown. She opened a third location in Ice Blocks at 1715 R St. in May 2021. Licked opened in April 2023.
However, Stewart started paring down her business in recent years. She closed the Ice Blocks location in July 2025, after pivoting and trying to make it a community and performance space. She then made the decision to close the L Street location that October. With the closure of Licked, Stewart will have only the one flagship Strapping left open.
Stewart carried the lease on the L Street location for about six months after the closure. A new gift shop, Ginger & Raven, opened in the space last week. She was able to exit the lease at Ice Blocks several months early.
Once she’s free of the lease on Licked, Stewart will no longer be carrying any leases other than on the Oak Park Strapping store.
“I’ll just be focusing on Oak Park and Strapping, which is my baby and who I love the most, and the store that owns my heart. I really want that one to succeed. So fingers crossed,” she said.
