Hot Over Valley Roadwork Hassles? Cool Off With Mary Lou’S Ice Cream

Valley residents may have to detour for a taste of Mary Lou’s homemade ice cream this summer, but the owners of the ice cream parlor say they will be open as much as possible.

“It’s just inconvenient for people to try and dodge the trucks and signs,” said Ed Ritchie, who owns the business at 821 N. Evergreen with his wife, Kris. They also own the Milk Bottle at Post and Garland on the city’s North Side.

Construction crews are widening Evergreen Road to four lanes to carry traffic from the new Interstate 90 interchange. That makes getting to Mary Lou’s a little trickier than usual.

The ice cream parlor normally opens for the season in March, but Ritchie said it has just been open on weekends so far this year.

“We’re hoping that when school gets out we’ll be open every day,” Ritchie said.

The best way to get to Mary Lou’s while the construction continues is to reach Evergreen via Broadway Avenue. The road widening project is expected to be finished by the time the interchange opens in November.

The Ritchies have owned Mary Lou’s for nine years and strive to keep the 1950s feel of the ice cream parlor. It is one of the last places in Spokane to make its own ice cream. It boasts dozens of flavors, all made entirely from scratch.

When the widening of Evergreen is done, Ritchie said he will have to reconfigure the parking at Mary Lou’s.

“We’ll have to do some remodeling for people to be able to park in our lot instead of in the neighborhood like they used to,” Ritchie said.

And although the inconvenience of construction will not be easy to absorb, it won’t spell the end of creamy, cold homemade ice cream in the Valley.

“Well, it’s never good when you can’t have your business open,” Ritchie said. “We’ll make it … but it will be nice when it’s done.”