It could be the end of an era for one popular ice cream brand with a presence in Maricopa.

After 85 years as a West Coast frozen dessert mainstay, Thrifty Ice Cream's future has become uncertain amid drug store Rite Aid filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this month. That plan includes selling off most of its assets, including the El Monte, Calif., Thrifty brand.

Philadelphia-based Rite Aid purchased the ice cream brand in 1996 when it acquired parent company Thrifty PayLess for $2.3 billion.

So far, both the ice cream brand and Rite Aid have kept mum about the sale or any potential buyers. That has only led to speculation about the brand's future, even here in Maricopa.

A post in one Maricopa Facebook group yesterday suggested locals should "say goodbye to Thrifty Ice Cream." But not everyone is convinced.

Locally, Maricopa Water & Ice is the only retailer that sells Thrifty ice cream by the scoop. Owner Tonya Thompson said Thrifty is a big draw for her customers partly because of nostalgia.

"It's just kind of an old favorite and it's a memory of theirs. When people see it, the first thing they think of is, 'Oh, I remember when I paid 50 cents for a scoop,'" she told InMaricopa today. "It triggers a memory for them."

Without getting into the nitty gritty, Thompson said she estimated ice cream sales make up roughly 30% of her revenue. But that doesn't mean the end of Thrifty could mean tough times for the store, which is about to face new competition.

"I'm not panicking about it," she said. "I'm looking at it as they're restructuring, reorganizing and that more than likely they're going to have a buyer and we'll be able to continue selling their products."

If the ice cream brand folds, Thompson "always has a plan B."

"I definitely have other avenues that I can take to bring in different stuff and it's already products my customers know I carry here anyway," she said. "So, it wouldn't be a big surprise. If we had to transition to something else, it wouldn't be an issue."