Merlino's (Gone)
Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The windows are shut at Merlino's Orange Freeze in this photo. Was the Sacramento stand closed for the day, or for good? On a hot afternoon, its orange freezes and hot dogs would have made a welcome stop.

UPDATE: This former Merlino's location is operated by another company now, though still open (as of a few months ago) and selling fruit freezes. Merlino's now has a new location at 32nd and Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento.

The Stockton Boulevard location closed a few years ago when Merlino's went bankrupt for a while, as did several other locations and a factory. When Merlino's reemerged, they reopened at the Folsom Boulevard site (about 1 3/4 mile north) and have also since started running seasonal freeze stands at Raley Field in West Sacramento (where the minor league Sacramento Rivercats baseball team plays) and at the Arden Fair mall near North Sacramento. Many thanks to Chris for update. 08-05

UPDATE: The old roadside stands are gone, but Merlino's Orange Freeze still appears at the River Cats ballpark in West Sacramento. 09-26

Richmaid Ice Cream
Lodi, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Along old Highway 99 in Lodi, Richmaid Ice Cream has a building worth looking up at. A clock sits in its little rooftop tower, though in this photo it doesn't seem to be keeping time. Perhaps it's still set for ice cream. The old facade gives passing travelers plenty to look at before they even reach the door.

Richmaid began in 1938 as an ice cream shop and moved to Cherokee Lane in 1944. The business grew into a creamery that made ice cream for customers well beyond Lodi. It was also a roadside stop, with carhops serving people who pulled in from the highway. A cone or a sundae must have been especially welcome on a hot valley afternoon.

There was more going on upstairs, too. The Richmaid Sky Room hosted gatherings and celebrations, while the business below kept making and serving its frozen treats. Between the ice cream, the carhops, and that clock above the roofline, Richmaid had a lot more character than the average highway stop.

UPDATE: The ice cream factory is gone, but the old building remains open as Richmaid Restaurant. The rooftop clock is still part of its distinctive look, even if checking it won't tell you when to stop for lunch. 09-26

All Star Donuts (Closed)
San Francisco, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

All Star Donuts had a sign that made the sales pitch before anyone reached the door: six donuts tumbling down toward a cup of coffee. Hanging over Chestnut Street in San Francisco’s Marina District, it gave passersby something to watch while they decided whether to stop for a snack. Even after the animated neon stopped working, the donuts still looked ready to take the plunge.

The sign was made around 1951 for Hunt’s Quality Donuts. When the shop became All Star Donuts, the name at the top changed, but the falling donuts and coffee cup stayed. The sign got a fresh coat of paint around 2006, keeping its old roadside charm in a neighborhood where storefronts kept changing. A second Hunt’s sign once advertised another San Francisco location, so this cup of coffee had a near twin across town.

UPDATE: All Star Donuts closed its Chestnut Street shop in 2014. The sign stayed above the storefront when Glaze Teriyaki moved in, then finally came down in 2019 and went into storage. Popi’s Oysterette now occupies the space. There may be oysters inside these days, but no tumbling donuts overhead to flag down hungry pedestrians. 09-26

Shaw's Candies
Millbrae, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Shaw’s Candies was the kind of place where a stop for ice cream could turn into a longer visit at the candy counter. Its sign stood along El Camino Real in Millbrae, catching the attention of anyone passing through with a sweet tooth. Homemade ice cream, chocolates, and a roadside sign made a pretty convincing case for pulling over.

Shaw’s began in San Francisco in 1931 and grew into a familiar name around the Bay Area. The Millbrae shop had its own special role in the business. Along with serving scoops and sweets to neighborhood customers, it housed the kitchens where candy was made for other Shaw’s stores. Someone heading in for a cone might have had no idea how much candy was coming out of the same place.

That old sign was part of the stop’s appeal. It stood out along a road full of businesses asking drivers to come in, offering a simple promise of ice cream just ahead. For years, Shaw’s was a place to make a quick dessert run or pick out a box of candy to bring home. Of course, getting out of there with only the one thing originally planned was another matter.

UPDATE: Shaw’s closed its Millbrae shop in September 2009 after a lease dispute. Another candy business briefly moved into the space, and the property later became known as Shaw’s Plaza. The roadside sign has since been removed. The building is still there, but a drive along El Camino Real no longer comes with that sweet reminder to pull over. 09-26

Eskimo Pie (Closed)
French Camp, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Eskimo Pie made quite an appearance on the side of Beattie’s Grocery in French Camp. The painted ice cream ad was hard to miss at the corner of French Camp Road and Ash Street, an old turn on the Lincoln Highway. Beattie’s was a general store, but that big graphic could easily put an ice cream bar on the shopping list. 01-07

UPDATE: Beattie’s closed in 2005, and the building later became a convenience market. The original weathered ad was painted over during a renovation, then recreated on the wall. The familiar graphic is still there, though the one in this photo is gone. 09-26