After many years of operation, two popular Baltimore Avenue businesses – Ice Cave and Aksum – have closed their doors.

                          Ice Cave in 2023

Ice Cave, the dessert shop specializing in Taiwanese shaved ice treats, reopened under new ownership just last spring. The original shop, managed by a Taiwanese American couple, opened in 2016 at 4507 Baltimore Ave. and then moved across the street to 4520 Baltimore in 2020. The original owners closed the shop in early 2023 due to family matters, however, a new family took over the space just a few weeks later, in March 2023, continuing the old tradition. Although the “Ice Cave” signage is gone from the storefront, a sign on the door says that the space is only “closed temporarily”, which means a new business may be coming there soon.

Another local favorite, Aksum Cafe, has closed after more than a decade in operation. The Black-owned Mediterranean restaurant was located at 4630 Baltimore. Ethiopian American restaurateur, Saba Tedla, opened the restaurant in 2011, but the business changed hands after Tedla opened Booker’s Restaurant & Bar on the 5100 block of Baltimore in 2017 (she eventually sold it as well). The business, just like many restaurants, struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic and ran a GoFundMe fundraising campaign in late 2020.

The business website is still running, and their last Facebook post was just a few weeks ago, on May 4.

The sign on the door says that the whole storefront is now for sale (see photo above).

It is sad to see both of these businesses go. What types of businesses would you like to see in those spaces? (please comment below).