Liberty Custard: Losing a dear friend

Tonight was the last night for our dear old friend and neighbor: Liberty Frozen Custard. About seven years ago an inspired couple bought an old-school gas station and refurbished it into a beautiful neighborhood charmer, a locally owned ice cream, er custard shop that sold kiddie cones for less than a buck. They ran a lovely business for those seven years and realized that they just couldn't sustain it anymore.
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With the restored luster of this old-school place, families from around Minneapolis would stop in for a quick cone on a hot summer's day, after a concert or sporting event, or even in the middle of a cold, snowy afternoon. My kids grew up here, tasting their first bites of rich creamy custard while still riding in the baby Bjorn front pack. They learned how to play pinball, how to put a quarter in the little red car, how to get their own glass of water from the old fashioned beverage machine. I think Liberty Custard may have been responsible for helping me pack on a few pounds of pregnancy weight with Gus and Louise.When we heard the news, we made sure to take a last family outing to celebrate their great run in the neighborhood and to say goodbye. Each of the kids got to play a few games, ride the red car and the boys took one last spin at the large chess set. I shed a few tears when I realized that for Gus and Louise, at ages five and three, Liberty may not be a memory they'll be able to take with them. We'll have to remember it in our hearts and retell the stories of their childhoods.
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Tonight Liberty Custard closed. While we were celebrating Ron's belated birthday with my family, my Dad ran out to grab a few of their last pints of custard to go with the cake. They were out of custard, but he bought a couple pints of their yummy Italian Ice. As we drove home from my parents' house afterwards, we saw them carrying the pinball table out the front door, loading it into a U Haul truck.
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Goodbye, sweet Liberty. We loved you 'til the last lick.