Nearly three months after a metre-and-a-half of water swept through its doors, Rosalie Cold Rock Ice Creamery is rising from Brisbane’s devastating floods.

The store in the city’s inner-west will reopen this Saturday in time for Rosalie Rising – a community street party to celebrate the recovery of businesses within the Rosalie Village precinct.

January’s devastating floods destroyed everything within the Nash Street ice creamery, forcing owners Donna and John Weatherhead to start their 13-year-old business again from a “bare shell”.

“The water ruined our fridges, freezers, cold room and display cabinets and the walls had to be ripped out and the ceiling replaced,” Mrs Weatherhead said.

“We’ve had to start again from a bare shell which has been a daunting task.

“In the beginning we felt like flood victims but it’s time to move on. This Saturday will be a great way to tell Brisbane that we’re well and truly ready to welcome customers back.”

The popular ice creamery is one of the last businesses to reopen in Rosalie Village because of the extent of damage to its refrigeration equipment. Despite its lengthy closure, the store has kept its entire staff on.

“They are very excited and we’ve got the whole team of nine working for us this Saturday,” Mr Weatherhead said.

“We’ve had a lot of support from the community and are very grateful for the assistance given at clean-up time by friends, customers and complete strangers. Their generosity has been amazing.”

Rosalie Rising is a free event backed by Brisbane City Council and the Queensland and federal governments. It runs from 12pm-8pm at Nash Street, Rosalie Village.

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