When Josh Tarokh bought Kreme Delite, an iconic ice-cream shop in downtown Athens, people asked why he didn't remove two water fountains attached to the outside of the cramped building.
His response? "They are part of history."
When Kreme Delite opened in 1951, the fountains were marked with signs designating their use for "White" and "Colored," said Jimmy Greenhaw, who owned the walk-up restaurant before Tarokh. The signs are long gone but the fountains remain, symbols not only of that time in history but of the changes that have occurred in the past six decades.
Greenhaw, who remembers going to the newly opened shop when he was 7 years old, said the screened window on one side of the building, where the air conditioner is now located, was used to serve black customers, while white customers walked up to the windows on the front.
Kreme Delite, one of several old-fashioned dairy bars still in business in northern Alabama and southern Tennessee (see list below), was built by Arley and Frances Phillips. Greenhaw bought it from another owner in 1987.
Tarokh, who bought the business from Greenhaw about three years ago, is the owner of the popular Village Pizza restaurants in East Limestone and downtown Athens.
The Charleston, S.C., native moved to Athens with his wife, Limestone County native Laura Pepper Tarokh, and realized Kreme Delite's appeal.
"We came to visit her family when we were dating and we always went there to get ice cream," he said. "I thought it was coolest thing in the world. It's nostalgic."
Still, when Greenhaw offered to sell him the business, Tarokh wasn't interested - at first. Then he noticed a line of customers at Kreme Delite's order window that stretched around the building, and he told Greenhaw he was ready.
Kreme Delite is one of the longest-running ice cream stands operating under the original name in the state.
Two well-known dairy bars in Jackson County, Stevenson Dairy Bar and Section Dairy Bar, are no longer in the ice cream business. Section Dairy Bar closed in December and Stevenson Dairy Bar at 19 Jackson County Road 75 no longer serves ice cream. The business, owned by Dan R. Smith, is changing its name to Bubba's Family Restaurant, said Smith's son, Justin Smith, who manages the restaurant.
If you have a hankering for treats from a walk-up dairy bar, here is where to find five of them in North Alabama and one in Tennessee:
Kreme Delite
401 W Washington St., Athens
256-232-9130
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. seven days a week
Specialty: "I think the upside-down banana split makes Kreme Delite a local icon," said former owner Jimmy Greenhaw. The treat has the same fixings as a regular split, but it is served layered in a cup so that it is easier to eat. Also offers chili dogs and hot pretzels.
On Facebook:www.facebook.com/pages/Kreme-Delite
Five Points Dairy Bar
807 East Willow St., Scottsboro
256-574-3171
Hours: 10:30 a.m. 7 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, Sunday hours are seasonal
Owners:Murphy and Patricia Bellomy, who bought it in 2009."My wife owns it," Murphy says. "She just lets me work here."Specialty: Peanut butter milkshake. Also offers hamburgers, hot dogs and other short-order foods.
History: It was built in the 1940s as a Dairy Queen and became Five Points Dairy Bar in 1963. The name comes from its location where five roads meet. Walk-up orders only, no dining room.
On Facebook:www.facebook.com/pages/Five-Points-Dairy-Bar/
Dot's Dairy Den
5371 Main Drive, New Hope
256-723-9996
Hours: 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 6 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays
Owner:Jan Key Mahan
Specialty: Pineapple, butterscotch and other specialty flavored shakes. In addition to ice cream, it offers hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, breakfast and other short-order foods.
History: Owner Jan Mahan is the daughter of Dot and Houston Key, who opened the shop in 1955. It has walk-up windows and a small dining area inside. The iconic sign that sat atop the building was damaged by a recent storm and has not been replaced, according to employee Christie Manley.
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Dots-Dairy-Den/
Farmer's Country Pit Stop
6911 Alabama Highway 40, Dutton
256-657-3500
Hours:5 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 5 a.m.-8 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays.
Owner: Donald "Farmer" Schreier
Specialty: Home-made onion rings. Also offers soft-serve ice cream, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders, breakfast and other short-order foods, said manager Mary Best.
History: The building with walk-up order windows was built in 1971 as the Four-Way Dairy Bar, Best said. It was closed for years but Best refurbished it for its re-opening in March.
Bowen's Dairy Bar
14010 Alabama Highway 75, Henagar
256-657-6369
Hours:Open Thursdays-SaturdaysOwners: Ronnie and Phyllis Bowen
Specialty: Cherry milkshakes. Also offer hamburgers and short-order foods.
History: Opened in the 1960s, according to the blog Marie, let's eat!
Dixie Freeze
200 Elm Ave., S. Pittsburg, Tenn.
423-837-6423
Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. Serves lunch and dinner.
Owners: David and Patty Johnson
Specialty: Triple-thick shakes. Also offers short-order foods.
History: The Dixie Freeze was opened in 1948 by Paul and Margaret Braden. The Johnsons bought it in 2002.
On Facebook:www.facebook.com/pages/Dixie-Freeze/
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