The opening had been a long time coming: Byrd dreamed of his future storefront for years as he delivered custard to the DMV from Gigi, his old-school food truck. Then, the pandemic hit. “Eighteen months ago, my goal was to open the Ice House and have it ready to go. That's not what God had planned for me,” Byrd said. Getting the Ice House open for business was years in the making— after he forged a relationship with the previous owner and proved he would be a good steward of the Ice House, which was originally constructed in the 1930s, Byrd said.