Friends! Let’s take a stroll down malt shop lane and check out some cool images from the 1930’s-1950’s of vintage soda/malt shops and the customers who are enjoying them.

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Lana Turner in”Slightly Dangerous”, 1943 serving up a ice cream float.

Vintage Malt Shops

Vintage Images 1930’s – 1950’s

HISTORY OF THE MALT SHOP

A Soda shop, also often known as a Malt shop (after malt, a sweet milkshake flavoring), is a business akin to an ice cream parlor and a drugstore soda fountain. Interiors were often furnished with a large mirror behind amarble counter with gooseneck soda spouts, plus spinning stools, round marble-topped tables and wireframe sweetheart chairs.

The counter-service soda fountain was introduced in 1903, and around that same time, drugstores began to attract noontime customers by adding sandwiches and light lunches. The beverage menu at a soda shop usually included ice cream sodas, chocolate malts, fountain colas and milkshakes. A 1915 issue of Soda Fountain magazine stated: “The soda fountain of today is an ally of temperance… Ice cream soda is a greater medium for the cause of temperance than all the sermon ever preached on that subject (source).”

Now, what can we get you?

Source: Wikimedia

1950s vintage photo of teens at the malt shop counter enjoying treats.

Source: Flickr- UNCG Digital Projects

Late 1940s / early 1950s photo of a busy malt shop. All those treats look yummy!

Malt Shops are for hanging out, catching up and also reading as these girls are demonstrating in 1952.

Source: Flickr- File Photo Digital Archive

When grabbing a drink at the counter it’s mandatory that one looks their best, like these very stylish teenagers. Their hats are the BEST! -1940s Photo-

And looking their best for these boys means it’s all about the Plaid. 1950s photo.

After a fun day at the beach a nice refreshing drink will do the trick. And now on a side note, what an amazing photo! The girl swimsuits are stunning as well as the girl’s hair on the right. WOW! -1940s Photo-

1942 Nifty Nook Diner / Malt Shop. Phoenix, Arizona. Super 1940s “teenager” fashions on display in this image.

Source: Etsy

There is that fantastic “counter” style we keep seeing. Another great hat!

Even movie stars stopped by for a milkshake or two as seen here in the picture below with Joan Crawford and her editor Alice in 1939. P.S. HAT! 

Image by © CondÈ Nast Archive/Corbis

Malt Shops are not just for teenagers and movie stars, they are for all ages.

Source: We had faces then

1953 – Mavis sipping a strawberry milkshake in a white milk bar.

Photo by Terrence Spencer//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

1930s photo of a couple out on date night at the malt shop.

1950s photo of two teenagers enjoying a drink together and some fun conversation. Wonder what they are chatting about?

Shall we have a dance or listen to some music before we leave? -1950s photo-

Image by © Michael Ochs

So much to take in here! Saddle shoes, jukebox, plaid skirt, 1940s hairstyles and young men and women enjoying their time at their local malt shop.

Source: Pinterest

Lastly when I was in Memphis the hubby and I stopped in at A.Schwab and had REAL soda’s from their vintage soda counter. Here are a couple of images of that super cool experience.

Read about my trip to Memphis & Nashville HERE.

Mmmmmm real soda pop. Which one to try first?

Now Question Time: Do you have a favorite place to go for vintage sodas? Milkshakes? Maybe you hung out at a Malt shop back in the day? Share anything you want in the comments section below.

FURTHER READING:

Vintage Photo Tuesday-Collection of archived vintage blog posts showing vintage images from the 1920s-1960s

Liz