AVB
Jesus of Cool, I'm bad, I'm nationwide
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You can practically float on the sugary carbonation: Lined up on the shelves of Galco’s Soda Pop Stop, in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, is a veritable library of sodas and beers from around the world, from Brooklyn egg cream to Brazilian guarana soda to Indian Malta. It’s one part soda museum, two parts sugar boutique.
At first, Galco’s customers were mostly elderly residents seeking a taste from their youth. But the store has since found a loyal following among sweet-toothed hipsters.
Galco’s first opened downtown in 1897 as an Italian grocery store that sold freshly baked bread, provolone and deli meats, and moved to Highland Park in 1955. But as the ethnic makeup of the neighborhood changed from Italian to Mexican, the deli counters sat empty and John Nese, who inherited the store from his father, found himself with a failing business.
After some soul-searching, Mr. Nese decided to switch his inventory to nostalgic sodas in the 1990’s.
The 10,000-square-foot shop still looks like a timeworn Italian deli, down to the chipped linoleum and faded 1950’s sign out front. But the half-dozen aisles are now lined with 500 varieties of soda and 425 of beer, both new and long forgotten. Among the most eye-popping are Manhattan Special Espresso Coffee Soda, a mud-like drink loaded with caffeine; Red Ribbon Cherry Supreme, which is neon pink; and Jamaica’s Hot Hot Hot, a pale ginger beer so spicy that it almost burns your lips. Most are packaged in old-fashioned glass bottles and cost between $1.75 and $3.
Several exotic brands hail from distant shores — Sangaria Ramune, a melon-flavored Japanese soda with a marble in the bottle; and Kolashampan, a cream soda from El Salvador. The obscure beers are also imported, including Grozet Gooseberry Wheat Ale from Glasgow ($5.99) and a four-pack of Duchesse de Bourgogne Flemish red ale ($17.95).
Whenever possible, Mr. Nese tries to carry sodas with natural ingredients. Nuky Rose Soda from Florida, for example, is made from crushed rose petals; Plantation Style Mint Julep from Pennsylvania is flavored with real mint; and Nesbitt’s Orange has telltale orange zests at the bottom of the bottle.
You’ll find Coke and Pepsi, too, but the cola is made in Mexico, where independent bottlers still use real sugar, as opposed to high-fructose corn syrup.
Galco’s Soda Pop Stop, 5702 York Boulevard, Los Angeles, (323) 255-7115; www.sodapopstop.com. Open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m; Sunday 9 a.m to 4 p.m.
(From the NYT)
At first, Galco’s customers were mostly elderly residents seeking a taste from their youth. But the store has since found a loyal following among sweet-toothed hipsters.
Galco’s first opened downtown in 1897 as an Italian grocery store that sold freshly baked bread, provolone and deli meats, and moved to Highland Park in 1955. But as the ethnic makeup of the neighborhood changed from Italian to Mexican, the deli counters sat empty and John Nese, who inherited the store from his father, found himself with a failing business.
After some soul-searching, Mr. Nese decided to switch his inventory to nostalgic sodas in the 1990’s.
The 10,000-square-foot shop still looks like a timeworn Italian deli, down to the chipped linoleum and faded 1950’s sign out front. But the half-dozen aisles are now lined with 500 varieties of soda and 425 of beer, both new and long forgotten. Among the most eye-popping are Manhattan Special Espresso Coffee Soda, a mud-like drink loaded with caffeine; Red Ribbon Cherry Supreme, which is neon pink; and Jamaica’s Hot Hot Hot, a pale ginger beer so spicy that it almost burns your lips. Most are packaged in old-fashioned glass bottles and cost between $1.75 and $3.
Several exotic brands hail from distant shores — Sangaria Ramune, a melon-flavored Japanese soda with a marble in the bottle; and Kolashampan, a cream soda from El Salvador. The obscure beers are also imported, including Grozet Gooseberry Wheat Ale from Glasgow ($5.99) and a four-pack of Duchesse de Bourgogne Flemish red ale ($17.95).
Whenever possible, Mr. Nese tries to carry sodas with natural ingredients. Nuky Rose Soda from Florida, for example, is made from crushed rose petals; Plantation Style Mint Julep from Pennsylvania is flavored with real mint; and Nesbitt’s Orange has telltale orange zests at the bottom of the bottle.
You’ll find Coke and Pepsi, too, but the cola is made in Mexico, where independent bottlers still use real sugar, as opposed to high-fructose corn syrup.
Galco’s Soda Pop Stop, 5702 York Boulevard, Los Angeles, (323) 255-7115; www.sodapopstop.com. Open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m; Sunday 9 a.m to 4 p.m.
(From the NYT)
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