D'Lites in Cypress Announces Permanent Store Closure: A Sweet Farewell to a Community Favorite
Community-favorite ice cream store, D'Lites in Cypress, announced on September 11, 2024 that they will be closing up shop. The announcement, made over social media, mentioned that the last day of its operation would be Sunday, September 15. The owners Sam and Julie Dunlap cited health and family-related reasons for the decision.
D'Lites is a franchise of D’lites Emporium, a Florida-based brand known for its health-conscious offerings. Founded in 1982, the D’lites Emporium brand has grown to 18 locations across the United States, with its prime product being a proprietary low-sugar, low-fat frozen dessert. This unique soft serve ice cream offers a delicious treat with just 50 calories and no more than 3 grams of sugar per 4 fl oz serving, sweetened naturally with skim milk lactose and a minimal amount of corn syrup, without any sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners.
Julie and Sam Dunlap, owners of D'Lites in Cypress. (Source: D'Lites Houston)From its inception, Cypress D’lites has been an example of tenacity and determination. Despite facing numerous rejections from banks and small business non-profits for loans due to lack of restaurant management experience, Sam and Julie didn't give up. Instead, they self-financed the shop with their savings and opened its doors in April 2022.
Their offerings expanded beyond just ice cream, to include low carb pastas, breads, chips, muffins, pizzas and snacks, all in pre-packaged form. Their mission was to provide a low sugar, low carbohydrate solution so that the local community didn’t have to miss out on their favorite foods. The shop has been known for their rotating flavors of low sugar soft serve ice cream like Creme Brulee, Salted Caramel, Orange Dreamsicle and Butter Pecan.
Beyond merely running a business, they were active contributors to their local community. Earlier this year, they were one of the drop-off locations for the Angels' Attic prom dress initiative. Their connection to the community was apparent in their farewell message. "First, we'd like to thank everyone for all your support and kindness you've shown us over the past 2.5 years. We truly could not have done any of this without you all," they shared.
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This closure will be a loss to the community, who will miss not just the ice cream and the low carb food offerings, but also the enthusiasm and commitment that Sam and Julie brought to the Cypress area. Visit their website at dliteshouston.com for store hours and make plans to stop by to bid farewell and snag your favorite flavor at their shop one last time.
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
