Location of Vernors first store?

[buckster1986]

I was wondering if anyone knew the exact location of the original Vernors store/pharmacy? Is the building still standing?

[Detroitnerd]

I had a copy of the Arcadia history of Vernors, but I can't find it right now.

[Ed Golick]

Vernor's original pharmacy was located at 235 Woodward.

[buckster1986]

Was there a store near Boston where the cooler was said to be invented?

[jcole]

Was there a store near Boston where the cooler was said to be invented?

From what I've read, it was just named after Boston Blvd. Probably to make it seem that the wealthy folks who lived there liked the soda so it would seem desirable.

[EastsideAl]

I believe that 235 Woodward was near the corner of Clifford under to old addressing system. Once the soft drink was a big success though, Vernor closed the drug store and moved the operation to a larger building on Woodward near the river, where Hart Plaza is today. That's the one that older Detroiters like my father remember.

[gnome]

for some of your vernor history needs:
http://www.wowway.com/~vernors/history.htm

The history of the Boston Cooler has some conflicts. One story says that Mr. Saunders invented the drink at his store on the east side of Woodward Ave near Boston Blvd.

The other story, and the one I like better, is that the drink was invented during Prohibtion by Grandpa Vernor for his grandchildren. According to legend, there was a milk man who delivered to the Vernor household. In his wagon he carried Strohs Ice Cream [[Strohs had to give up brewing beer and changed their fire-brewed kettles over to ice cream production). James Vernor Sr. lived on Grosse isle but would visit the grandkids in Detroit. During one summer visit in 1921 the milkman and Grandpa Vernor delevoped a friendship and between the two of them they concocted the mixture of Strohs vanilla ice cream and Vernors Ginger Ale.

It was called a Boston Cooler because the house was on Boston Blvd.

[buckster1986]

IS the building near clifford still standing?

[EastsideAl]

Long gone, as is pretty much all of Civil War-era Detroit.

Here is a picture of the building:

[EastsideAl]

In fact, with the demolition of the bottling plant on Woodward north of Canfield in what's now called Midtown back in the late 80s, pretty much all physical architectural evidence of Vernor's history in Detroit is gone.

[buckster1986]

Man, I love this area! Pretty soon people won't beleive us that Vernors, Hudsons, Strohs....ever even existed here. Is there any way to get a copy of that picture?

[gibran]

everytime I see a picture of old Detroit..i saddens me to think we tore down so much of what we seek out in cities now...corner stores, neighborhoods, parks, fruit stands, bakeries...etc.

Everytime I travel to DC I walk the streets of Georgetown..and think what if...people siting on corners on a Sat A.M. having a coffee, walking to stores, art galleries, every ethic restaurant you can imageine...brown stones homes.

why or why didn't we have the sense to preserve these ...no forsight..now we all wish we had that in any city again...

sorry whining

[EastSider]

why or why didn't we have the sense to preserve these ...no forsight..now we all wish we had that in any city again...

But these were replaced by something bigger and grander. If we wanted to keep all the civil war era stuff, how many of the buildings "we" want to hold on to today would not have been built? For example, beautiful victorian mansions lined Washington Boulevard. Should those have been saved instead of the Book tower? What about preserving the original, 4-story Book-Cadillac hotel?

[Maxine1958]

for some of your vernor history needs:
http://www.wowway.com/~vernors/history.htm

The history of the Boston Cooler has some conflicts. One story says that Mr. Saunders invented the drink at his store on the east side of Woodward Ave near Boston Blvd.

The other story, and the one I like better, is that the drink was invented during Prohibtion by Grandpa Vernor for his grandchildren. According to legend, there was a milk man who delivered to the Vernor household. In his wagon he carried Strohs Ice Cream [[Strohs had to give up brewing beer and changed their fire-brewed kettles over to ice cream production). James Vernor Sr. lived on Grosse isle but would visit the grandkids in Detroit. During one summer visit in 1921 the milkman and Grandpa Vernor delevoped a friendship and between the two of them they concocted the mixture of Strohs vanilla ice cream and Vernors Ginger Ale.

It was called a Boston Cooler because the house was on Boston Blvd.

It's S-A-N-D-E-R-S. Not 'Saunders'. Sorry, pet peeve. I worked at Sanders for four years during and just after high school and that is one of the first things they taught us.

I remember Sanders used to sell Vernors Ice Cream, but I can't remember how the story went of the invention of the Boston Cooler except that it's named after the street in Detroit not the city in Massechusetts.

[Meddle]

For example, beautiful victorian mansions lined Washington Boulevard. Should those have been saved instead of the Book tower? What about preserving the original, 4-story Book-Cadillac hotel?

Yes.

The same as Boston-Edison or Indian Village.

Where would Boston or Charleston, SC or St. Augustine, FL be today if they had demolished all of their history?

[gibran]

Granted ...there are turn of the century buildings that are great,,but gone never the less..

have you seen pictures of old city hall etc..

guess it would have been good to preserve some quarters of the city with historical districts...we have great ol buildings but just think of teh real old buildings and the value of those if we built around and not through...guess there has to be a blance..but many here don't travel to Europe to visit the suburbs...

[gnome]

thank you maxine, I'll try to be better. I'm not a very good speler in the first place and to my ear Sanders is pronounced SAWN-ders ... the bride informs me I'm all wrong and that it is SAHN-ders ... even if it should be pronounced SANDers.

sorry, didn't grow up here, so my ear is tin to the correct way to say the name.

[Ed Golick]

Gnome,
Are you the famous Vernors Gnome?

[gnome]

yep, that's me, beard... funny hat, leather short pants ....It's a habit. Tough to kick. yep, ...oh yeah, I spend my free time mellowing in oak barrels.

[EastSider]

Yes.

The same as Boston-Edison or Indian Village.

Where would Boston or Charleston, SC or St. Augustine, FL be today if they had demolished all of their history?

Boston would still be in Massachusetts, Charleston would still be in South Carolina, and St. Augustine would still be in...you guessed it...Florida.

Meddle, would you have preferred these larger, more productive buildings not be built at all, or would you have selected a different set of buildings for them to replace?

So there's one vote for the mansions instead of the Book Tower, Book Building, Statler, and Industrial Arms Apartment Building.

Anybody else?

[reddog289]

This is creepy cause lately I have been craving Vernors Ice Cream. I really do miss Sanders and their shops, But a Boston Cooler to me isn't the same without sitting at the counter and having it made in front of you, and then getting a 1/2 gallon or even a cone of Vernors Ice Cream from the freezer at Sanders to take home. At least I have that memory still in my head.

[Maxine1958]

This is creepy cause lately I have been craving Vernors Ice Cream. I really do miss Sanders and their shops, But a Boston Cooler to me isn't the same without sitting at the counter and having it made in front of you, and then getting a 1/2 gallon or even a cone of Vernors Ice Cream from the freezer at Sanders to take home. At least I have that memory still in my head.

I'm not sure if they still make the Vernors ice cream, but Sanders stores are making a come back!

Okay, a small modest one, but a come back none the less. There is a store on Kercheval in Grosse Pointe, one in the Laurel Place Mall in Livonia and they are opening another one but for the life of me I can't remember where. I visit the Morley's candy shop on Hall Rd frequently. They carry [[and now make) many of the Sanders products. The manager there told me about the new stores. I haven't made to any of them, but she tells me they have lunch counters and carry many of the old standards.

[Meddle]

I can remember going to the bottling plant on Woodward and getting some of the syrup to use as a ham glaze. You had to go to one of the back doors after hours and catch one of the line workers in a good mood.

[Cushkid]

And once again downriver gets forgot about, there's a Sander's in downtown Wyandotte.

[detroitbred]

Maxine.........I also worked at SANDERS and you are absolutely right ......that was the 1ST thing they taught us in orientation!!! Sanders...not Saunders! Funny you remember those little things.