Soft-serve ice cream shop Dip Ice Cream closes down in Kitsilano

Frozen desserts shops go gangbusters in good weather but it's a tough sell when it's not so sunny. And in Vancouver, that's a lot of the time.

With a ton of ice cream shops having opened up over the last few years, especially artisanal and liquid-nitrogen places, things have become even more competitive. Alas, a number of them have already thrown in the towel.

Among the casualties already have been Yaletown's plant-based creamery Nice Vice and Gastown's soft-serve ice cream parlour UYU IceCream (which is looking for a new location).

Another one is Dip Ice Cream (2967 West Broadway), a Kitsilano ice cream shop which opened last summer and has folded within its first year.

The shop offered soft-serve ice cream that could be dipped in nine types of chocolate, including chai, peanut butter, matcha white chocolate, and Mexican dark chocolate. They could then be covered in toppings and drizzles.

Elsewhere in the neighbourhood, nearby Calhoun's Bakery closed down in January after 24 years of business.

New places that have started up in the area include Be Fresh Market, which opened up its fifth location at 2951 West Broadway, and the Asian dessert–themed TMix Tea and Dessert Bar, which opened at 2790 West Broadway.