Cloud City Ice Cream, the Southeast Portland shop that has scooped small-batch flavors on Woodstock Boulevard for 15 years, says it needs $60,000 from the community to stay open.
Owner Bryan Gilbert described the shop's financial crisis in an Instagram post on Tuesday, Oct. 27, as first reported by KOIN. A major equipment failure in July 2024 forced Cloud City to close temporarily, costing it crucial summer revenue.
Gilbert said he has spent the past two years draining personal savings and investments to keep the business alive.
"It's been the most stressful period in our existence," Gilbert said in the post.
The shop explored loan options, but Gilbert said the only ones available were not sustainable long-term. Employees and customers urged him to try crowdfunding before closing, according to the shop's GoFundMe page.
Gilbert wrote on the page that he wished he had launched the campaign sooner but has "a really tough time asking for it."
The campaign had raised $30,203 from 562 donors as of Wednesday, Oct. 28, about halfway to its $60,000 goal.
Cloud City opened on Woodstock Boulevard in fall 2011, making handcrafted ice cream with local ingredients out of a single storefront tucked into a strip mall next to the Safeway.
The shop earned the No. 33 spot on Yelp's list of the 100 best ice cream shops in the country in 2023, as The Oregonian reported in July 2023.
Gilbert did not specify what type of equipment failed or provide a detailed breakdown of how the $60,000 would be spent. The GoFundMe page describes the amount as what the shop needs "to get the business back on track."
"It's unlikely we will be around for another year," the shop's Instagram post said.
Residents who want to contribute can search "Keep Cloud City Afloat" on gofundme.com. The shop is at 4525 S.E. Woodstock Blvd.
