OT: Old time soda fountains (drug store), ano...

If you are 50 or older you probably remember when all the drug stores and a lot of the 5 and dimes had soda fountains.

They are few and far between now.

I remember going to the dime store in Fairbury, NE with my folks when I was about 10 or so. I had to decide if I wanted a Cherry Phosphate or a Green River to drink, and a sandwich or a sundae (or banana split) to eat. That one is long gone.

There WAS one left in Rushville, IL. Not any more, it was in Moreland & Devitt drug store. The drug store will still remain, but they are auctioning off all the soda fountain and related stuff Saturday, March 17.

I hate to see them all gone, but I understand why. Just no money to be made.

I also miss the "old time" A&W root beer stores. They sold root beer in glass gallon (exchange) jugs, and ice cream in pints, quarts, and gallons if I remember right. The A&W was also in Fairbury.

The closest one "back there" now is Lincoln, NE (85 miles from Belvidere, NE) the closest on where I live now is about 40 miles. But they aren"t the same as they used to be either. DOUG

We had them in K-Mart and Woolworth stores, all gone now. Still have A&W, and can get root beer in glass mugs, taste so good!

Just a few years ago there was a Soda Fountain in Fairbury, Il. It has since closed up, and I don,t know what happened to the equipment.

A&W used to have the best chili dogs, and I got the chili recipe off of the internet. Pretty darn close.

I still miss Dog & Suds rootbeer. We had one in Bloomington, Il when I was in High School.

And next door to Bloomington, was Normal,Il where Gus Belt opened the very first Steak and Shake on the original Mother Road--Rt. 66

If you are ever in Columbus Indiana, try Zaharako's. It was founded in 1900 and still running.

I remember A&W in so many towns and cities. Now, it is in with some fish house to stay in business. There are a few that host car cruise-ins so we try to support them. Around North Vernon Indiana, there was Park'N'Eat, Black's Shack, Amicks and others. Now, just a few chain places. It's not the same. For a drive in type, in Greenwood Indiana, there is "The Suds" drive in that has cruise-ins every Saturday evening in good weather. It has been around for quite a few years.

When I was a kid every summer for awhile my mother and father would make a batch of root beer. I think that it came as a kind of a kit and it had to set and "work" for a few days but it wasn't alcoholic. Then it was bottled and they had a hand operated tool to put caps on. We probably bottled it in returnable Coke bottles. I remember that we like it a lot better than the soda fountain stuff.

Are you sure K-Mart had soda fountain? Think maybe it was Kress? They had Dime stores like Woolworth.

Yep I still remember my parents buying a gal. jug of root beer at A&W and bringing it home and having root beer floats

I have some relation that opened up a steakhouse/soda shop. They tracked down an older soda fountain circa early 60's and serve Ice cream,malts,shakes bannana splits etc. It's pretty good. They even cut their own steaks.

One of the things I enjoyed growing up was spending the weekends with my Grandparents. If Grandpa had to go into the shop (worked for Charlotte Parks and Rec Dept.)there was an old fashioned soda fountain on the corner about two blocks from the shop. The whole area has logn since grown up and gone commercial in the way of lawyers offices, medical offices, etc, etc. sad to see the old place got but they always had good eats.

The K-Mart near us still had a snack bar / soda fountain about a month ago. Stopped in there this last weekend, and it's gone. They haven't even painted the wall behind where it was yet. I almost cried. I imagine it cost them more to keep it staffed than it made anymore.

Huskers 86:

Just curious, where is that? With the "huskers"
part of the handle, are you in Nebraska? DOUG

Just about every morning, I go down to our local drugstore for coffee, at 'Doc's Coffee Club'. Back in the early 60's, we got our first drug store, and it had a counter and the usual ice cream, coffee, sandwiches, etc. The druggist had a few regulars in for coffee every morning, and they began to flip to see who bought. A new drug store was built with the current setup, including counter in the late sixties. Doc still flipped with the group every morning, but sold the business a few years back, but still owns the building. The coffee club still meets every morning, and we solve all the problems in the world until tomorrow morning. While coffee is now a buck, ours is still two bits. And we flip to see who buys. If Doc loses, it's still a "crooked game", even though he usually ran it. Now, the new druggist runs it, but occasionally the 'house' loses and it's still a crooked game. The accountant for the new guy wants Mark to get rid of the counter, because it's a lot of retail space lost. But, so far, he has resisted it. One of the waitresses has been there for close to fifty years, almost since the original opening. Lunch and shakes are still served every day. It'll be a dark day around here if we ever lose it.

Mid 60's, Emden, IL. Boss Drug had a soda fountain. We used to see how many different mixes we could dream up for a different flavor. I think it was $.10 or $.15 for a glass.

When I was growing up (late 40s, 50s) the drug store in my little town had a soda fountain. I'd go in there after the Saturday afternoon double-feature and read all the comic books and then order a root beer float. Sometimes I'd splurge and get a bannana split---with three actual flavors of ice cream.

The coke and root beer were dispensed from a large wooden (oak) barrel with stainless bands and fittings. When the drug store was being remodeled in the late 60s my Dad bought the barrel, which I now have in my home. Would post a photo, but my daughter borrowed my camera.

The Rexall (Chief) Drug store in Tecumseh had one when I was a kid. They closed it down, and moved it all into storage. A couple of years ago, some people opened up a "soda fountain and lunch" counter on the west side of the town square. They managed to buy that old fountain, and put it back into operation.

(quoted from post at 19:04:57 03/14/12) Huskers 86:

Just curious, where is that? With the "huskers"
part of the handle, are you in Nebraska? DOUG

Click to expand...

I'm from Loomis, Nebraska Doug, The steakhouse is in Overton, Nebraska. The fellow and his wife are my wifes aunt and uncle. They wanted a place to be like times gone by and have had pretty good reviews. He was a meat cutter for years so that helps the steak side of it. They even have the meat on display in a glass cooler so you see where it's coming from.

I go through Tecumseh on the way back to the farm if I take Hwy 136. Just don't get to the square.

I see that it is called Ramsey Family Fountain.

The posted hours probably won't work, on the way west it is late in the day when I go past there.

On the way back east I need to keep going.

Might check it out though on the way back east. Thanks, DOUG

I was thinking about that the other day, Judds Drugs back home, closed now. Lunch counter with a soda fountain, ice cream. I'm not sure, but back in the day, must have been a federal law that all drug stores had to have...

Never should have repealed that law. See, just further proof that politicians can't do anything right. Grin.

When I lived in Illinois, Romeoville, I often worked in Kankakee, which drove me right through the town of Manhattan on Rt 52. Right on the curve in Manhattan is Kirby's restaurant where they not only make their own cakes, pies, pasteries right in front of you, they do for about a dozen or so "bakeries" in the general area, that purchase from them, and resell them. I always told folks, "If you drive through Manhattan and don't stop at Kirbys, you will be pulled over before you get out of town for breaking the law, a federal law requiring that all passers by have to stop at Kirbys". Kirbys is still there. If you are ever passing through, I'm telling you, its the law, a federal law that you must stop and treat yourself and your passengers. Don't go and be breakin the law now.

Mark

here in Denver,Colo. metro area, we has a few k-marts, but every Woolworth"s store, had a soda fountaion, especially the one in downtown den, and lakeside shopping center, [lakeside amusement park]. use to get a hoagie [subway type] sandwich and a fizzy soda...miss the good old days when people cared about service instead of greedy money..

In the small town where I grew up, there's a family-owned drug store that still has a soda fountain...among other amenities. In the commercial below, most of the people are actual residents of the local community. Butt Drugs is run by Katie Butt Beckort, granddaughter of the founder, Bill "Blackie" Butt.

Took my grandson there for ice cream when he was 3. He was amazed by the swiveling stools at the counter of the soda fountain, as 3-year-olds often are.
Butt Drugs Commercial

In the small town where I grew up, there's a family-owned drug store that still has a soda fountain...among other amenities. In the commercial below, most of the people are actual residents of the local community. Butt Drugs is run by Katie Butt Beckort, granddaughter of the founder, Bill "Blackie" Butt.

Took my grandson there for ice cream when he was 3. He was amazed by the swiveling stools at the counter of the soda fountain, as 3-year-olds often are.
Butt Drugs Commercial

I bet it was a K-mart. We had one here in downtown Mankato, Mn. but it was before they shortened their name. It was still called Kreskies "spelling?" Drug. And yes it did have a soda fountain. They shortened the name sometime in the 60s.

http://www.artofdrink.com/soda-fountain/drinks/cherry-phosphate/

I'm under 50 (at least for a few more years)

I grew up in a typical small new england mill town.

I remember the corner 5 and 10 store - LOVED that place.

The little grocery store, before the "big" supermarket moved into town (about 1/10th the size of today's supermarkts).

The small hardware store I'd go to with my father and grandfather.

There was also a cobler selling shoes. I was always fascinated by his tools.

There was a bank with the big vault door you could see - I was always afraid of getting locked in there - don't ask my how I thought that might actually happen.

All beautiful brick buildings with dusty creaky wood floors.

Unfortunately the center of our town burned down when I was about 10.

The nice old brick buildings were either gone, or gutted and cut down to half their original size. All replaced by ugly 1970's era structures. All so ugly.

It was a tough place to grow up. I lost all of my old friends to hard drugs, drunk driving crashes, and prison.

But I think that was a generational thing. My generation grew up on the tail end of the 60's crowd.

We were the aftermath of all the peace love and happy drugs.

But funny how it all seemed to go downhill together - the beautiful town center burning down
and the bottoming out of our local society.

The town has since come back around and is a better place to live now. I don't live there anymore, but I'm not far.

But it's funny too how i have great OLD memories of the town, but too many bad memories after that to really care much about it.

I miss the old days, but the OLD old days!

I hear there is one in Mountain View,Ark.Going next week and will let you know.

When I was a kid going to the Ben Franklin store was a big deal.Thought I had died and gone to heaven when I went to my first Wool Worth store. You could get something to eat and drink. I think a burger and fries with a soda cost me seventy cents. I was really enjoying the good life.

When my parents were through shopping and time to go back home.They knew where to find me.Think I would have lived at the store if they would have let me.One day had my dollar and dad was late getting the morning farm chores done. I headed out for town. They caught me four miles down the road. Momma tore my butt up for taking off. But I did manage to get to Wool Worth that day.

We still have the old Hashop's building in Corsicana but it's not the same anymore.

Some good folks own it now and do a pretty good job of trying to preserve it and the way it use to be. They even have a few recipes from the original owner offered on the lunch menu which I think is pretty cool. Potato salad and a few other things.

I'm only 45 but I remember having lunch at our local Woolsworth and being mesmerized by the big machines that made those frozen concoctions we called slurpees. I remember that cup that had the polar bear on there drinking from a straw if I can recall correctly.

Then we had Roy's cafe that just finally closed down due to Hashops opening back up. lol. That place was open forever and I was always intrigued as a kid with the waitress lady that had a heck of a mustache.

Here's Hashops from a few weeks ago.

Yeah, I know...I like taking pictures of things.

There is a place in our town of St. Ignatius, MT called the Malt Shop that still has a soda fountain.

Best reward for a hard day"s work was a trip to the local A&W for a cold root beer float in a frosted glass mug! Great memories, thanks.

I guess things "progressed" (if you can call it progress) faster here in the west. My folks told me about soda fountains from their youth, but by the mid '50's, when I was a kid, they were all gone.

Had a couple of "dime stores" (one was a Ben Franklin), that had bulk candy in a wood cabinet with glass front. Had one kind of candy called "Chocolate drops", I think- shaped like a bon-bon, thin chocolate covering over a center made of stuff like the middle of a Mountain Bar- most were white centers, some strawberry and lemon, and once in a great while, you got one with a maple or chocolate center. SCORE!

We had 2 A&W's- I dated a car hop from one in the mid 60's. She got off shift at about 11 PM on weekends, and always smelled like a cheeseburger. Fine with me, I didn't much care what she smelled like, as long as it wasn't a cow! Got plenty of that on MY day job on the farm. Those are gone, too, but now A & W is in with Colonel Sanders- I guess they sell root beer still, don't know about "papa" and "mama" burgers- heve never stopped in.

Jiffy Lunch Cafe- motto "Watch it Cook". Coupla booths, coupla tables, and a counter with swivel seats. The grill was behind the counter, and it even featured "Peaches" Corbin, the owner, complete with ample belly, white T shirt and dingy apron, and a cigar in his mouth. Great guy, made a great burger. Married to a sweet, trim, prim little lady who was the school secretary and organist at the church- world's most unlikely couple.

Cobbler shop that smelled like real leather and polish, operated by Wayne Blue, who also raised really good polled Herefords.

Pioneer Feed and Seed, which smelled like an old fashioned feed store should. Ottmar and Jimmy Voegel ran it. When I started raising cattle when I was about 12, bought all my grain there. Ottmar convinced me I should get a checking account- would make things easier. I did, and felt pretty cool. I broke a piece of lab equipment in Science in 8th grade- had to pay for it- 35 bucks. Pulled out my checkbook and wrote a check to the science teacher (I happened to be pretty flush at the time!)- it took some convincing before he'd take it.

Had my account at the bank in Tenino, small town where I went to school. Got a note from the bank one day, when I was about 15- from Carol, a girl a year ahead of me in school, who had a summer job at the bank (she was the school supt.'s daughter)- "You had a check that was going to bounce- I covered it- Please pay me $7.xx next time I see you. And you need to deposit some money, quick." Saw her at the fair the next week and settled up.

Phone guy came out to disconnect the phone one summer day- mom apparently misplaced the bill. He wouldn't take a check from a 12 year old, but asked if I could cash one somewhere. I knew my dad ran a tab at the gas station out by the freeway, so he took me there (about 2 miles each way)- I told the owner my tale of woe, and would he cash a check, he said don't bother with the check, and just handed Mr. Bell what he needed, out of the till.

A kid wouldn't have any place to do that today, but it wouldn't matter, because the phone guy wouldn't take you there anyhow. Say what you will about all our modern conveniences, I miss those days.

"A kid wouldn't have any place to do that today, but it wouldn't matter, because the phone guy wouldn't take you there anyhow."

Nice story Mike, but I have to respond to your phone guy comment. I just talked to my son, the phone guy, a few minutes ago. He told me about an elderly lady in our little community who was wanting an internet connection so she could keep in convenient contact with her daughter in Florida. Problem was - there were no open slots available, so he disabled his own personal slot in his terminal/office, and hooked her to it. He has some kind of satellite connection that he can use in his service truck, so it didn't really put him without. I'm sure he told me about it knowing that his mom and I like this old gal. Anyhow - just wanted you to know that some of the phone guys are still human.

By the way - I remember those days of the soda fountains. The good old days. The girls who were working at the soda fountain were the cream of the crop! Now they are in their 70's - and still the cream of the crop!

Yeah, I don't think its the people who are the problem- its all the rules and regulations. I think any phone guy (or anyone else, for that matter) who took a 12 year old anywhere in the company rig, would be summarily fired. Sorry to say, we have the lawyers, of whom I am one, to thank for that.

My A & W gal started out pretty strong- married the son of our Secretary of State at the time- but apparently things went downhill after that. I bought her brother's house at a foreclosure sale, and he said she was on her 5th marriage, last he heard, and nobody in the family was on speaking terms with her anymore.