In America, drugstore soda fountains became hugely popular in the 1920s, filling the social void caused by the closing of taverns during Prohibition. Drugstores with soda fountains became gathering places for people of all ages through the 1950s, but they mostly vanished by 1970.
But in Abingdon, some things never go out of style.
Ellis Soda Shoppe & Grill is in a former pharmacy that, unlike others at the time, had no soda fountain. But it has one now and the best sandwiches, sodas and ice cream in town!
The soda shop attracts everyone from tourists to local families and businessmen who plop down at the soda counter or in cozy booths to grab a delicious lunch or an ice cream treat while they take in the old clocks, Coke trays and other pharmacy and soda shop memorabilia on the shelves of the handsome oak pharmacy cases that line the walls. In the fall of 2008, the shop attracted U.S. Sen. and now President Barrack Obama, who stopped in for a vanilla milkshake and a burger and fries to go.
Located at 217 West Main Street Downtown Abingdon, Virginia Phone: 276-623-8187