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Port Moody’s Rocky Point Ice Cream is closed.
And the owners say it’s because of some hateful comments on social media.
In a statement on the shop’s Facebook page, Jamie and Yvette Cuthbert said they were forced to shut the doors of their long-running frozen treat parlour at Rocky Point Park because of personal attacks after photos of lines of customers waiting to get into their establishment on a sunny afternoon were posted to social media. Several of the accompanying comments criticized the business for staying open and for not taking measures to ensure customers waiting to get in adhered to social distancing recommendations to lessen the chances of spreading the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
“Some even went to the extent of calling and harassing our staff and posting bad reviews of our business,” said the Cuthberts, who’ve been running their shop since 1997 and making their own ice cream since 2012. “This is not how Port Moody should react in these tough times.”
The Cuthberts said the sudden closure leaves them at loose ends with “tons” of litres of ice cream and ice cream cakes in their freezers, so they’ve hastily set up an online store for orders to be picked up Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To avoid lineups, staff will deliver customers’ orders to their vehicle and any order of four or more pints can be brought to their home.
The Cuthberts said being forced to close their business cuts especially deeply as the couple is in the midst of converting the old Western Safety Building at Rocky Point Park into a production facility where visitors will be able to watch their favourite flavours being made through large windows and then enjoy them in the adjunct ice cream café.
“We have taken a huge risk, one that we thought our community would stand behind,” the Cuthberts said. “We are faced with the unknown of how to pay our bills, to finish the project, keep our current team employed, and all the other stresses and tasks that go along with getting this new facility up and running.”
The Cuthberts added every small business is currently struggling to come to grips with how to stay afloat when customers are staying home.
Read more of our COVID-19 coverage here.
