ANN ARBOR, MI — Another longtime downtown Ann Arbor business will close its doors at the end of the year.

The ice cream and dessert shop Kilwins’ last day in operation is Dec. 31, ending a 42-year run at 107 E. Liberty St.

The news was confirmed by store owner Chera Tramontin.

“The downtown economy is just not good right now,” Tramontin said in a message.

She cited the cost of rent as another reason for the closure. Also, a private equity firm purchased Kilwins in 2023 , and the move was “not what we were into,” Tramontin said.

“We decided we’re retiring at the end of our contract,” she said.

Kilwins has nearly 200 locations nationwide but Don and Katy Kilwin founded it in 1947 in Petoskey. The second owners, Wayne and Lorene Rose, began franchising Kilwins in 1981.

It’s known for

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