Cold Rock Wellington Point will close down next week after a decade of serving sweet treats to residents

Owners Shane and Wilna van Deventer have made the tough decision to shut up shop on October 4 after financial difficulties before and during the pandemic saw them struggle to keep their doors open.

The couple moved with their three daughters to the Redlands from South Africa 10 years ago and wanted to own a franchise.

They opened up Cold Rock Ice Creamery on Main Road at Wellington Point in 2011.

"It has been a rocky road, it is very tough running a business, and you never know until you do it yourself," Mr van Deventer said.

He said financial struggles were making it challenging to stay open.

"It's been financially difficult for the past two years, even before that (COVID) it was not that easy.

"We don't have free time, we can't go on holiday because we have to keep the shop open, we have to be here all the time," he said.

"We've got to a point in our lives where my kids are working, Wilna is working in the shop on her own, I've had to get another job to pay the bills, it has been touch-and-go financially."

Mr van Deventer said COVID had a major impact on business and they were dealt a blow when they missed out on JobKeeper payments by just 1.5 per cent.

"The times that we had to close or only serve takeaways were tough and if it wasn't for the community support, I don't know what we would have done," he said.

During snap lockdowns, with a shop full of stock, the van Deventers had to rethink their business plan.

"After the second lockdown, people were thinking twice about how to save money and they weren't coming to buy a $5 ice cream."

Mr van Deventer said it was now time for his family to try something different.

"The shop has been good for us, we've met some great people and become part of a wonderful community, but it's time for a break," he said.

The van Deventers said they would miss the people the most, especially children who had grown up in the shop.

"We have had kids coming in here since they were in grade six, and now they have finished school and are going to university, so we have really seen them grow up, and seen the community change," he said.

"Ice cream is such a happy business, no one comes in to this shop when they are angry, we have seen so much joy in here."

"This has always been a family business...my two older daughters worked in the shop, and my youngest was only nine months old when we came to Australia, so she has grown up in the shop.