Arlington Beverage Company

_____After attending Lobster Fest at Davis Street Fishmarket tonight, I brought up our family trips to Arlington Beverage Company in Arlington Heights, IL. I have fond memories of making trips down Central with the fam returning bottles and selecting a "pick your own" case of homemade soda. This was a kids dream (especially for us since the parents wouldn't let us have much soda)! My family shared equally vivid memories of black cherry, lemon-lime, and...the blue one. While I'm sure the coloring agents to make those bright sodas weren't that healthy, I just can't shake the thought of unique sodas.
_____I guess I more wanted to share and ask if anyone had frequented the Arlington Beverage Company? Are there any homemade soda companies still in the area? I wish we still had one of the reusable bottles!

Zin

p.s. I always wanted the blue one to taste like the North Carolina Blue Soda celebrating the 1982 championship. Yum. Bought my father an old can on eBay to bring back that memory too.

HI,

You will want to visit Filbert's on the south side.

Regards,

Yes I remember this place from to 70's. My cousins on the north side of Des Plaines would always have a few cases of these gem colored beauties in their garage for family parties and such. I don't remeber the specific flavors but do remember they were quite varied for the time. I tried to find something out about the place a few years ago with no luck. Sadly they are gone. Below is what I was able to find today after some quick searching on a Mt Prospect Business website:

"Name of Business: Arlington Beverage Company

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: Originally, 110-112 W. Fremont in Arlington Heights, moved in 1964 to
1326 W. Central Road

Is building standing: Yes

What is at site: Mount Prospect Public Works

When was business founded: 1872

Is business still operating: No

If no, when did it close:

Who owned business: Frederick W. Muller, later sons Henry and William. Sold to Harvey Lutz
between 1960 and 1964. Sold to Dick Vandenbark in 1985

Interesting stories, facts, history:
Arlington Beverage Company produced sodas and flavored drinks in the Northwest suburbs for over a century. Bottles of cream soda or the black cherry soda will bring back memories to every one who grew up in the area before the 1980s. The Arlington Beverage Company also ran the “Pop Shop” a local landmark. Started in Arlington Heights, the factory was originally in the ground floor of Frederick Muller’s house and the bottled beverages were delivered by horse and wagon. Over time the company grew and made its founder both wealthy and well known. Two of the homes he built are now on the National Register of Historic Places and are the home of the Arlington Heights Historical Society. Over the years, competition from national brands with massive advertising budgets and economies of scale, made it a less and less attractive business and the Pop Shop closed in the 1990s. "

_____NICE find! God I love the power of information at your fingertips. Thanks for finding out that tidbit, I'll forward it onto my fam.

I lived on Weller lane down the street from the pop shop and hung out with the Lutz family. In fact, I still touch base with the Lutz "Children" on occasion to reminisce about the fun we had watching the dad pour huge bags of sugar into the mixer with the occasional facefull of sugar backlash and 3 stooges like comedy affect.

Forget Green River, drink AB soda we would say.

After riding our dirt motorcycles behind the building for hours My brother and sister would stop in for a refreshment. If anyone remembers, they had a display cabinet with historical shots of Mount Prospect downtown and Central Road when it was nothing but a dirt connector road. If you have specific questions, post them and I will see they get answered. Maybe we can get Margie on the blog and a picture dump.

1966->1976

_____It’s been so long since I wrote that post and walked down memory lane about the Arlington Beverage Company that this your thoughts were a refreshing delivery to my inbox this morning! I would love to gather some pictures of the old company and possibly some of the products.
_____While there aren’t many (that I know of) interested in this NW suburban spot, I know my family would love it. I’m sure they’d in turn share with their friends and…well that’s how much of today’s internet usage begins isn’t it? Either way, I’d love some visuals if you have ‘em.

Thanks for the post byost,

Z

I worked at the Pop Shop for a couple of years, back in 1985 - 1986. I did just about everything: drove the step van making deliveries, mixed the flavors, ran the bottle washer on the line, ran the register at the outlet store and was just starting to learn to run the bottling machine. Then I decided to go back to school, and then I moved to New York.

It was a fun job. Plenty of pop to drink. Nice customers. The other workers were good folks. (Jake, where are you now?) And the owner was a good guy.

At times it was dangerous work and eye protection was optional. The bottles would explode if they were over pressurized or if they were damaged from too much use. The worst were the quarts. When those babies went off it was like a glass grenade; glass shrapnel everywhere. I got myself some safety glasses after the second day at work.

The bottle washer used a hot lye solution to sanitize. When we'd clean out the loose bottles in the bottom we'd have to be very careful not to get any of the solution on our skin. It would burn and blister and hurt like heck.

Everyone loved the little 8 oz bottles. Young kids liked them because they fit their hands. Old kids like them because they'd fit into the old time Coke machines. We also filled 12 ounce bottles and the quarts. Also made up some pre-mix and post-mix in the standard 5 gallon cans. Plenty of flavors: cola, lemon lime, seltzer, root beer, raspberry, lime rickie, mixers and more.

We did some special projects. Bottled some exotic flavors for a Latin American guy down in Chicago. The product was very sweet; very tropical. Those we put up in non-returnable bottles.

By the time I was there they were using HFCS in place of sugar. The water was triple filtered. The different flavors came from a big shelf of little bottles.

A bottle producer in Mexico made up some more returnable bottles when stock ran low. We spent many days assembling the heavy cardboard cases for the new bottles.

It was sad to see the Pop Shop go. I looked at the place shortly after it closed. The guys who were running a second hand store there told me there had been an auction. Machines, bottles, stock, coolers, walk-ins, fork-lifts, taps, compressors, trucks and everything was gone. Man, would I have loved to pick up some of the neat stuff!

From the looks of things, it was obvious that the Pop Shop was gone and never coming back.