Archives: Memories

Butterscotch Ripple ice cream was always my favorite at Isaly’s as well as their baked steak dinner.

I grew up in Pittsburgh just streets away from the Isaly family, and went to high school with two of the sons. One of our favorite memories is every year at halloween, the Isalys would not give out candy–oh no! They would give out KLONDIKES!!! (Better eat em quick before you got to the next house).

Happiness is….Your ice cream and chipped ham 🙂 Growing up in the Burgh we so enjoyed getting the Isaly’s skyscraper cones. Mom would surprise us by getting the Chipped Ham for dinner. When we get back “home” I always buy about 10 pounds of the Chipped Ham. I keep it frozen to make it back to Montana. We miss having the skyscraper cones but we did sit with cousins and enjoyed the ice cream in the store. It brought back lots of wonderful memories.

When I lived in Turtle Creek, I went to the Isaly’s every Saturday one summer with my best friend. We’d go thrift shopping at one of the local churches then get a ice cream and a Jones.

I used to deliver the morning news paper when I was in high school and when I was done I would stop in isaly’s down town new castle for a hot cup of coffee…

My father was a ‘window trimmer’ for Isalys during the ’40’s and 50’s, until the company went to a leaner, cleaner look. Isalys windows were quite elaborately decorated during that period, Our house was almost always used as storage for the next window change. Dad traveled to Ohio, West Virginia and of course Pittsburgh to work his magic in those windows. In my mind, I see them still.

I grew up overseas in my childhood years because my dad was a US Diplomat but when he would be on furlough, our family of 9 (7 kids and my mom and dad) would fly up to my dad’s hometown of Apollo, PA to visit granny and grandad but first stop always was Isaly’s! To this day, my memories of going to Vandergrift, to get my rainbow ice cream and hearing us all shout out our flavors is so exciting! This Thursday, my 90 yr. Old Daddy and I are going to PA for him to see old friends and family and his health is not great but what is he asking about? Isaly’s!

My parents, Bill and Mary Francis, owned the Isaly’s Store in Minerva, Ohio. We grew up working the soda fountain and having all those ice creams, chip-chopped, Klondikes at our fingertips. My whole family was a part of the business and we learned a lot from our parents. We learned to work hard, be a member of the community and strive to be the best.

Isaly’s- what a great place for the family !There were 2 Isaly’s location in my hometown of Homestead, PA. When my dad got paid, we would walk to one of the 2 Isaly’s stores for a special treat. Sometimes it would be a skyscraper cone, sometimes a 25 cent milkshake or a Klondike. Once in a while we would eat lunch at one of the tables- I always got a chipped ham barbecue- still love to make my own at home these days. Prices were so cheap that one day we went to Isaly’s and the price of coffee had gone from five cents to seven cents- we were not wealthy. I can still hear my mother exclaiming- ” Seven cents for a lousy cup of coffee” !(The lousy of course certainly did not refer to their really good coffee.) But she continued to enjoy her favorite brew there..loved it.

My mother worked at the lunch counter at the main Isaly’s in the late 30’s. It was here that she met my father. Are there pictures posted during this time frame? By the way, the Klondikes were my favorite.