Ice Cream News
Days are now numbered for Dallas custard shop Wild About Harry's
A beloved Dallas custard shop is shutting down: Wild About Harry's, which has been a staple of Knox Street staple for 25 years, will close for business, with its final day on July 4.
The shop has been at its current address at 4527 Travis St. since 2018, when it moved in a high-profile relocation prompted by ongoing new developments and construction.
Now their current location is on land that will become another multi-story development, according to spokesman Brad Belletto.
"Where Harry's is now will eventually be a multi-story building," Belletto says. "They're going to start the demolition pretty soon. We'd like to find another location in the neighborhood but I think it's probably more than we can afford."
Harry Coley first opened Wild About Harry's on Knox Street in 1996, selling frozen custard and Chicago-style hot dogs, when the street was still a funky bohemian area with independent shops. But the area has undergone a massive upheaval, with new businesses and higher rents to match.
Coley died in 2014 following a bout with cancer, and the store was taken over by his daughter Sydney Coley-Berglund. Belletto, who has extensive restaurant experience, has lent a hand in helping keep things afloat, including introducing new food items such as hamburgers and Italian beef sandwiches.
The landlords provided them with a temporary space on Travis Street back in 2018.
"They were nice enough to give us a good deal so we were able to survive, and they've offered to let us open temporarily in other vacant spots on the street," Belletto says. "But when you add in what it costs to move, it just doesn't make sense."
They'll still be making their custard, currently sold at Great American Hero on Lemmon Avenue, and at Hello Dumpling in East Dallas, while they look for another location.
"We're grateful to have had our home in the Knox/Travis neighborhood for 25 years, and we will continue to look for a new home," he says.
Meanwhile, you've got just a few days to get your custard: They'll be open until 10 pm on Sunday, July 4th.
