Key lime pie gelato. (Photo from Facebook.)
Botolino Gelato Artigianale will open a new location in Bishop Arts later this year at 269 N. Bishop Ave., marking the third shop for the gelato spot.
Botolino’s flagship store is on Greenville Avenue, and a second location opened at Preston Royal in 2020.
But as of now, Botolino owner Carlo Gattini is not welcome in the Bishop Arts storefront that will soon be his.
The location is currently home to Azucar Ice Cream, a Cuban-inspired ice cream shop that originated in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood in 2011 and joined the Bishop Arts community in 2018.
According to Andy de la Fuente, manager of Azucar, the shifting of store tenants is the result of a “slimy” deal made between the store’s landlord, Exxir Capital, and Gattini.
Gattini’s photo is currently posted on the door next to the store hours. “BOO BOTOLINO,” is written below the man’s face, where red devil horns and eyes were drawn onto the image. “NO ENTRY,” is scrawled across the bottom of the photo.
In an interview with the News, Gattini said he had been looking to move into the Bishop Arts neighborhood for years and denied knowing of any wrongdoing on the part of Exxir Capital or himself.
“My agent was informed that the space was available. So we met with the landlord, negotiated and discussed visions and came to an agreement,” Gattini said.
According to a March 15 email sent by Exxir to de la Fuente, Azucar was told they would be unable to renew their lease in the shop because Exxir CEO Michael Nazerian had extended a Letter Of Intention (LOI) to Gattini.
Gattini told The Dallas Morning News his LOI agreement with Exxir was not legally binding, so the company could have chosen to renew with Azucar if they had wanted to.
For a full account of the disagreement with the lease renewal, visit the Oak Cliff Advocate.
Azucar will leave the store by July 31, and Botolino is expected to move in by October 2023, the News reported.
