Tuscaloosa’s Riverfront Moonshot Creamery to Close Later This Week

Moonshot Creamery, the ice cream parlor and wine shop on the Riverwalk, will close this week after three years in business.

The shop announced Sunday on Instagram that its lease at 1650 Jack Warner Parkway is ending and owners Audrey and Paul Vermilyea have decided not to renew.

"We are so thankful for the years we've gotten to serve Tuscaloosa, but our lease is coming to an end at Moonshot and we've decided to not renew," the post read. "This supportive community and dependable team have been the best parts of this adventure. We're so grateful for all the love you've poured into our little ice cream shop, from the after school treats to the late night scoops to the weddings and special occasions we've been a part of. We will forever treasure Moonshot and all the people who made it great."

Get our free mobile app

Moonshot plans to stay open regular hours Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and asked customers to stop in for one more scoop. Anyone with wine orders to place should email hello@monarchespresso.com.

The Vermilyeas opened Moonshot in June 2023 in the Shops at Riverwalk Place, taking over a space that had housed Domo, an artisanal market the couple ran for about a year before closing it in April 2023.

Moonshot served small-batch ice cream made with grass-fed milk from Rock Salt Milk Bar in Newnan, Georgia, with more than 20 flavors, house-made cones and dairy-free options. The other half of the business was a bottle shop built around natural, low-intervention wines, most priced between $16 and $20.

Audrey Vermilyea told the Thread before the opening that the couple wanted "the most interesting and eclectic selection of wine in Tuscaloosa" at prices people could afford, the same gap-filling approach they took with coffee years earlier.

The Vermilyeas, both University of Alabama graduates, opened Monarch Espresso Bar downtown after a crowdfunding campaign raised $50,000.

For more exclusive coverage of restaurant and retail news in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.