History

These Retro Ice Cream Shops Deserved A Longer Life By Sophia Conti Sept. 6, 2025 9:40 am EST

It's getting harder to find an old-school ice cream parlor. As Americans eat less ice cream, shops are closing up or merging with bigger brands that can help them stay in business. There are still a handful of nearly 100-year-old ice cream shops , like Bassetts Ice Cream in Philadelphia or Fenton's Creamery in Oakland. Sadly, though, many mom-and-pop parlors and ice cream chains have had to shut their doors for good.

Shops that opened in the ice cream booms of the Prohibition and post-World War II eras began to lose ground in the 1980s, as consumers opted for lower-fat frozen treats like gelato, smoothies, or frozen yogurt. Many changed owners, rebranded, or shifted to produc

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