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| Image taken from google images. |
Back in the 40's and 50's we had "corner candy stores". There was one on almost every corner. The one that we went to was owned by a man named Philly Lapin and he and his family lived in the same building where his store was located, much like the photo above.
When you walked into the door, the soda fountain was to the right. It was very small with maybe 6 stools. That is where Mr. Lapin stood whenever I saw him. He always wore a white full apron that looked pretty worn for wear. He wore wire rim glasses and otherwise, pretty non-descript. He made the best chocolate malteds and chocolate egg creams.
You don't know what an egg cream is? It did not contain eggs or cream either. Chocolate syrup, milk and soda water. It is imitated today but it just doesn't taste the same.
He had a few turning racks with clear plastic bags filled with plastic toys from the time. My favorite was to collect the little foreign dolls and I had a ton of them. I have seen some on ebay for tons of money. Of course, back then, I got the girl toys and my brother got the soldiers and cowboys.
He had one large card rack for those special occasions.
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| http://www.etsy.com/listing/85063825/lot-of-10-vintage-birthday-greeting |
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| http://www.etsy.com/listing/85036717/vintage-christmas-greeting-card-with |
There was one table with a few chairs and that is where my mom and grandma would sit and chat while my brother and I drank our chocolate malteds with our pretzel rod. The malted was so thick you could scoop it up with the pretzel and there is just something so yummy about that sweet and salty.
The store was not anything like the soda fountains we see today. It was really kind of dark with neon lighting. We got ice cream cones in the real sugar cones of yesterday.
Chocolate candies filled with raspberry jelly, a treat called Halva which is truly an acquired taste and memories for a lifetime.
18 comments:
Awwww, sweet memories! Thank you for featuring my vintage greeting card!
Oh, Sue, I wish I could have been there with you! I've always wanted to patronize a real soda shop and get the full experience! Thanks for sharing :)
Mmm yummies
My brother and sister want to have a bookstore/coffee shop /soda fountain place.
What a wonderful post! Thanks so much for sharing such a lovely memory with us :-)
Ahhhh memories ever sweet....♥
Monika
And very yummy memories!
They didn't do Egg Creams in the mid-west...I wonder why they called the Egg Creams if there were no eggs involved. Daddy used to give me a dime and I would go down to the corner drug store in the tiny MO river town we lived in and I could get a Cherry Coke and a whole bag of penny candy for that one dime. :) Good times! That Drug Store had the best strawberry ice cream sodas!!!
Sounds wonderful! I miss all the old shops that were around when I was younger, the old traditional sweet shops where the best. We used to have one in our town and it was so wonderful, been replaced with a cafe bar which I also enjoy but it's a shame to have lost such a wonderful old shop. Niki x
Sue, I genuinely enjoy your memories. You really bring them to life with your descriptions. My dad has some similar type stories which are so good to hear, and really are part of your family's heritage. It's good to have it written down.
Yum, you are making me hungry!
Sue - Thanks for sharing -- I enjoyed that walk down memory lane.
aww so neat! I truly belong in the 40's/50's. I love the fashion back then and the little mom and pop shops like the one you remember. Thanks for sharing that. I feel like I was there with you :-)
I wish I had been able to visit one... times were so simpler back then. I've seen them in movies, but I've always wanted to go to one for real... my Mom still orders egg creams from the diner :) Great, now I'm hungry...
-Aloquin
My mouth is watering! I wish I could do some of that :-) This is why I love reading books about eras gone by.
As Bob Hope would say, or was it Jack Benny - "thanks for the memories"
We had one too - on the way to school - we bought chocolate caramels for a penny. They had a soda fountain where they sold TastyCakes.
You're making me hungry!
I agree with Mechelle, I started thinking about tasting all of the yummies in the pictures.
Oh Sue-- I had to leave a little note her~ I love the nostalgia of your post!! I was born in Brooklyn, and lived in Richmond Hill for about 4 years before we moved to Long Island. I have fond memories of candy stores, and luncheonettes in those 4 years! I grew up on egg cream soda's too. Thanks for sharing these great memories, as they hit home with me!
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