A Guide to the Best of Southern California : A Soda Fountain as Museum

FOR THE YOUNGER generation, soda fountains don’t mean that much. But some of us recall long, cold marble counters, whirring shiny metal blenders and happy children. Evelyn Thunell dreamed of running an authentic soda fountain. So she and her husband Bill, longtime collectors of antique ice-cream equipment, opened Copper Kettle Candy & Cones. The combination soda fountain, confectionery, gift shop and antiques store is a “working museum,” Evelyn says. At the antique soda fountain, the soft drinks are still mixed by hand.

Copper Kettle sells both antiques and reproductions; Antique Gilcrest ice-cream scoopers from the 1920s are priced at $125 and up; a 1916 Hamilton Beach malt dispenser goes for $495, and candy jars (1895 to 1920) start at $900. On the less expensive side, malts sell for $2.95. Most young people don’t know the difference between a malt and a shake, Evelyn notes. “Let them go to McDonald’s for a shake,” she says.

Copper Kettle Candy & Cones, 16228 Whittier Blvd., Whittier; (213) 943-1900.