With its rounded exterior and bright, pink-trimmed roof, it’s hard to miss decades-old Loard’s Ice Cream, which is located within an otherwise ordinary shopping plaza in Oakland’s Dimond District.  

The legendary ice cream brand, which has a San Leandro factory and is available in grocery stores across the region, continues to operate 11 Bay Area shops that began with its historic Oakland flagship store. In early June, the ice cream parlor at 2825 MacArthur Blvd. reopened following a nearly five-year closure that started in 2020. Winnie Tam and Willis Yu, who own a real estate agency in the same shopping plaza, recall observing the dated building shortly after it closed, hoping it would make a comeback. Two months ago, the husband-and-wife duo decided to take matters into their own hands, reviving the parlor just in time for its 75th anniversary.

“So many people have driven by, waiting to see the doors open,” said Tam, Loard’s Dimond branch co-owner. “Everyone just knows this location and this ice cream, especially if you’re from Oakland.” 

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One of the branded T-shirts employees wear at Loard’s Ice Cream’s newly reopened original location on MacArthur Boulevard in the Dimond District of Oakland, Calif., on July 29, 2025.

A sandwich shop for Weslo’s sandwiches, at right, occupies a section of Loard’s Ice Cream’s newly reopened original location on MacArthur Boulevard in the Dimond District of Oakland, Calif., on July 29, 2025.

A root beer float and a Thai tea float at Loard’s Ice Cream’s newly reopened original location on MacArthur Boulevard in the Dimond District of Oakland, Calif., on July 29, 2025.

Saul, left, and Suki Sadeh select their flavor of ice cream at Loard’s Ice Cream’s newly reopened original location on MacArthur Boulevard in the Dimond District of Oakland, Calif., on July 29, 2025.

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When news broke that the landmark business had reopened, overjoyed customers flooded the shop, posting social media videos of their ice cream cones against the structure’s facade. The Oakland building is almost as iconic as the brand itself. During the store’s closure, movie producers approached Tam and Yu, requesting the keys to the historic shop so they could feature the business in the recently released film........

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