Bakery Truck Rises From Bygone Era

A piece of Southern California history has reappeared on the streets of the Santa Clarita Valley--a bright yellow Helms Bakery truck, its once-familiar whistle summoning those with a sweet tooth or sweet memories.

At one time, Helms trucks delivered as many as 150 sweet-smelling fresh-baked items to 350,000 homes from Fresno to San Diego. Women waited at their front doors for their daily deliveries. Children listened eagerly for a truck’s whistle, then crowded around to choose their favorite sweet.

Now, two Canyon Country men hope to bring back that old-time delivery service.

Dressed in a uniform of black pants, a starched white shirt, black bow tie and a hat, driver Robert Dion, 31, has been selling fresh bread, rolls, cream puffs and other baked goods from the refurbished 1962 truck since last Saturday.

“Fresh doughnuts! Come and get your fresh doughnuts!” Dion shouts over the truck’s loudspeaker as it blares rock ‘n’ roll from the 1950s and 1960s.

“People just love it,” said J.R. Goodman, 31, who with Dion created the fledgling business. “They’re even chasing the truck. I had a guy come by my house last night and tell me we went by his house too fast.”

At its height, the Culver City-based Helms Bakery operated 400 trucks. At the time the business ceased, Paul H. Helms Jr., son of the founder, said the home delivery baked goods business had fallen victim to modern supermarket shopping.

“The irreversible reality is that this form of merchandising is no longer needed by the consumer,” he said in 1969, when the bakery service closed.

But Goodman and Dion hope to prove Helms wrong. Although they have only one truck in operation and no home delivery customers, the partners hope to put at least three trucks on the streets.

“I think people are ready for an old-fashioned ‘we’re here to serve you’ kind of business again,” Goodman said. “I think many are tired of supermarket shopping and ready for some door-to-door service again.”

The two men, who also run a boat business in Canyon Country, bought the 1962 trucks from three retired Helms deliverymen who kept the vehicles after the company went out of business 23 years ago.

“I had been actively searching for one,” Goodman said. “Then I saw a newspaper article about these guys.

“I’m kind of a nostalgia buff and remember the Helms truck coming to my grandmother’s house in Lynwood when I was little. I remember that whistle best. That’s what evokes the good memories.”

So far, the partners have refurbished only one truck because, Goodman said, parts for 1962-era vehicles are hard to find.

Before he restored the truck that is making the rounds, Goodman visited the old Helms Bakery building, now owned by a Beverly Hills businessman.

“There was some memorabilia there and some of the history,” Goodman said. “We wanted to be as authentic as possible.”

Goodman also made sure no one had legal rights to the Helms Bakery name before staking his claim to it.

Dion starts his day at 5 a.m. by picking up his wares at four bakeries. The baked goods are so fresh that customers who catch the truck early can buy sweet rolls that are still warm, Goodman said.

Dion takes no specific route and goes down streets at random. He also delivers in response to neighbors’ phone calls.

“We hope to have routes someday,” Goodman said.

The baked goods are sold from shelves on the truck. There is also a candy drawer filled with old-fashioned treats such as Sugar Babies, Boston baked beans, licorice and bubble gum. And Coca-Cola is sold in old-fashioned glass bottles.

Since the truck began rolling, Goodman said, he and Dion have sold about 150 dozen doughnuts and 50 dozen pastries.

“I think it’s neat that they’re bringing this back,” said Gina Gilbert of Lancaster, who stopped with her two young daughters at the Helms truck Friday when she saw it parked in Canyon Country.

“We bought doughnuts and junk, just junk. It was great. The kids loved it.”