Abbott's Frozen Custard has permanently closed its Massachusetts Avenue storefront in Lexington Center, adding to a growing vacancy problem in the Giroux Building that now totals more than 5,500 square feet of available retail space.

Owner Jason Denoncourt, a Lexington native who opened the franchise location in 2018, stopped operations in November 2024. He cited two straight years of pandemic disruption and four consecutive years of town construction in front of the store during its busy season.

"I'm incredibly grateful to have run a business in my hometown and work closely with the community and many students, but with two straight years of pandemic and four consecutive years of town construction in front of our store during our busy season, we could not overcome financial burdens," Denoncourt told The Lexington Observer.

The shop's equipment and fixtures remain visible through the front window. The lights have been off for months.

Abbott's is a franchise with more than 20 locations, mostly in upstate New York. The only Massachusetts location still operating is in Needham. Abbott's operations director Alicia Bakewicz called the closure an independent business decision outside corporate control and said the company hopes to return to Lexington with a new local partner.

Fewer frozen treats in Lexington Center

The closure drops the number of ice cream and ice cream-adjacent shops in Lexington Center to three: Rancatore's, Fruitee Yogurt and the combined Baskin-Robbins/Dunkin' across from Fletcher Park.

Growing vacancy in the Giroux Building

Abbott's departure continues a pattern of tenant losses in the Giroux Building, the large structure between Emery Park and the Visitors Center. Via Lago, the Italian restaurant that operated there for 37 years, closed in May 2025 after its catering business never fully recovered from COVID-19. The former Sanyo Chinese restaurant space became a Russian School of Math location, which later moved to Depot Square.

The building is owned by Burlington-based Linear Retail Properties, which also owns Fiorella's storefront at 25 Waltham Street. Linear's property listing shows available units ranging from 959 to 5,668 square feet, reflecting space that can be leased individually or combined.

As of July 14, 2026, when Linear spoke to the Observer, the company had no new tenant lined up. Julia Brutto, Linear's vice president of operations, said the company is "working actively to lease the Giroux Building." No timeline for filling the space has been announced.