Queen Anne pet boutique Mes Amis will be closing its doors this Sunday, June 5, to make way for the shop’s transformation into Molly Moon’s newest ice cream outpost.
The local ice cream chain first announced plans to open a new shop in Queen Anne back in March, after pitting several neighborhoods against each other in a social media competition to see which ‘hood could drum up the most support to bring a the ice cream shop to their community.
In April Molly Moon’s announced that it had signed a lease to open its new location in the shop space at 321 W. Galer St., where Mes Amis is currently located. This came as abrupt news to Mes Amis owner and Queen Anne resident Nicole Ryan, whose 5-year lease was scheduled to end on August 31. “As my landlord was unwilling to negotiate the monthly rent, which has increased every year, I was faced with the decision to move the business, sell it, or simply close,” she told Queen Anne View, adding that she was not aware of Molly Moon’s plans to open a new shop in that space this summer until well after the fact. Ryan said she ultimately opted to close the shop rather than move it out of the neighborhood, but at the time was not sure exactly when the store’s final days would be.
This week Ryan reached an agreement with Molly Moon’s over the remainder of her lease and final move out day, and as per the terms Ryan agreed to close the shop early. Molly Moon’s plans to begin construction on the new store as early as next week, in the hopes of opening in time for Labor Day.
“It has all happened really fast,” Ryan said, adding that she’s concerned the quick closure will mean a missed opportunity to say goodbye to many of her longtime customers and neighbors. “I have sent thank you notes out to customers, but nothing can really express how thankful I am to all of them. These people—my neighbors—and their pets changed my life for the better, allowed me to slow down and pay attention to what is really important in life. Accepting the closure has still not really gotten any easier, the whole process is very difficult because of the connections I have made. I hope to still see everyone out and about in the neighborhood.”
Mes Amis will be having a big closing sale starting today, Friday, June 3 through its final day on Sunday, with discounts from 15 to 70 percent off, according to Ryan. Ryan says she will also be in the store all weekend leading up to closing, welcoming neighbors and their furry friends to stop by and say goodbye. A portion of the proceeds from Mes Amis’ sales this weekend will be donated to the Seattle Animal Shelter.