London’s Ice Cream
There’s a new ice cream place in Tacoma on 19th in the James Center Shopping area called London’s. It’s connected to Quizno’s. It looks like a low budget Baskin Robbins. There were decals on the walls that appeared to be homemade. The price board was the kind that is black plastic background and the letters were white and stick into the grooves on the black plastic. There were also some decals of chalk boards on the walls, these were about the size of an 8 1/2 X 11 piece of paper. Some of them were written on in chalk. It was a little tacky I thought. Even with a low budget, I feel I could have decorated better.
They have some pretty cool flavors there, I had a scoop of Coconut Joy which was great. My daughter counted the flavors there were 32 so one up on good ol’ Baskin Robbins. My youngest daughter had Superman flavor which was like 3 or 4 colors mixed together with multiple flavors, like a mixed berry blend, lemon, raspberry, and blueberry or something like that. It tasted pretty good. Steve had Strawberry and Vanilla, he seemed to like it as well.
My oldest daughter dropped her ice cream in the store and we had to get another scoop. She had only taken a couple of licks. It was sad to see it fall, the young lady behind the counter added another scoop to her cone and the older woman who was training her made a comment that they would need to add that onto the bill. I thought that was weird. Not a good start for a brand new business trying to keep new customers. We will not be back, we will just go to Baskin Robbins. Not because we didn’t get free ice cream, but just cause the vibe there was strange. Baskin Robbin’s is closer to home anyway. I miss Ferrell’s at the Tacoma Mall and the old Swensen’s in James Center. Those were the days ‘eh?
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July 3rd, 2009 at 8:58 am
Swensen’s - Now, THAT was a great ice cream parlor. Sorry, but I am an aged gent, and I use the old terminology, “parlor”. Anyway, Swensen’s was a fun place to take the kids and everyone enjoyed the tremendous ice cream treats. There is nothing like it here in the Puget Sound area any more. Someone should open a Swensen’s franchise here in U.P. They would make a killing!
July 3rd, 2009 at 12:13 pm
I must not have been around when Swensen’s was open. Doesn’t even sound familiar to me. I must have been mentally challenged at the time or not here period. I do remember Ferrell’s. My friends and I used to go there to pick up chicks in the 70’s. Seems like they had hamburgers too. Everything was red and white if I reckon.
July 5th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Ferrell’s, located at the North side of where Macy’s sits now, windows onto the parking area. It was a “Gay 90s” style ice cream parlour, red and white vertical stripes on the employee’s uniforms, replicating the style of the 1890s era. Fabulous ice cream sundaes.
This was back in the days that the Tacoma Mall had a grocery store on-site. A Thriftway was located at the south entrance of the mall, across from the Payless Drug Store. I remember shopping at Thriftway with my parents and grabbing the latest copy of the KING 5 Klubhouse newsletter which featured the latest info from the Stan Boreson kid’s show. Thriftway was replaced by a Lucky Store years later. The area now houses the mall’s food court.
One of the original stores at the mall, located west of JC Penney, just past the old fountain, was called S.S. Kresge later replaced by Sprouse-Reitz, both were five and dime stores. Sprouse-Reitz first founded in 1909 in Tacoma. I never liked going in to that store, it had a funky odor. I could never put my finger on what that smell was.
Other stores that have come and gone [outside of the Tacoma Mall]: Piggly Wiggly grocery stores. Rexall Drugs, once the largest chain of drug stores in the US. F.W. Woolworth, five and dime with a lunch counter. Valu Mart, which became Leslie’s. White Front which became Jafco and then Best [now Michael’s on 38th street in Tacoma. A star-studded cast appeared at the Grand Opening of the White Front store, including Burt Ward, who played Robin in the Batman TV show. Prairie Market grocery stores. Wigwam department stores.
July 24th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Thanks for this review of London’s. I drive by it regularly and have been wondering about it. There is even a weird vibe from the outside, so I’ve been wary about going in yet.
I, too, remember Swensen’s and Farrell’s. The Farrell’s chain, which started in Portland, is making a comeback. The new parlors are opening in California first.
We went to the Tacoma Mall Farrell’s whenever my grandmother would visit from the East Coast. I thought that it was over by where the new Nordstrom sits; I was sure it was right outside of the Frederick & Nelson mall entrance. Am I mistaken?
Duke, I remember many of the places in the mall that you speak of, and my parents were big JAFCO shoppers.