During the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, gas stations had real character. Colorful gas pumps emblazoned with great logos and light-up globes were the norm. Manufacturers of these machines competed heavily to get their models used by oil companies. Producers like Gilbarco, Wayne and Erie made pumps for well-known brands,including Texaco, Mobil, Dino and Shell. Accessories

I’m a sucker for trying just about anything new, even if it sounds kind of gross. When my husband and I heard about the Guinness Shake at Red Robin, we both went, “What???” Now, Joe is also a taster of all kinds of weird things (he had to try all the Harry Potter Jelly Bellies

From Ten-B-Low Concentrated Real Ice Cream comes this 1950s ad for a minty, green frozen treat to celebrate March 17th. Ten-B-Low was a trademarked brand that started in 1941, producing a condensed milk product that was used as a base in making any flavor ice cream at home. It was sold in cans that yielded

Schwinn is a name synonymous with bikes.  Founded by the German-born Ignaz Schwinn, a mechanical engineer, and his partner Adolph Fredrick William Arnold in 1895, the Arnold, Schwinn & Company struck while the iron was hot and started production when bikes where huge in America.  But their big boom didn’t come until the 1950s and

One of America’s most famous brands has been lighting the way in the auto industry for more than 100 years. For years, Ford enthusiasts have been decking out dens, garages and man caves with Ford tin signs, neon clocks and related decor. Next up: a full line of retro-style table lamps sporting the Ford logo,

Richard Drew, a 3M mechanical engineer, designed Scotch Cellulose Tape to give bakers and grocers a quick, waterproof method to seal packages. Until then, water was needed to seal cellophane. > Read the History of Scotch Cellulose Tape 3M kicked off marketing for the tape on January 31, 1930. It soon entered the common household

As a kid in the early to mid-1970s I remember boxes and all sorts of products lined up my Grandmother’s kitchen. Cleaners, soaps, shampoos and fragrance bottles were being packed in bags and boxes, ready for delivery. She was a Stanley Home Products representative. SHP was founded in in Westfield, Massachusetts in 1931 by Frank

Forget kneeling, bending and reaching. This oven features a slide-out insert that simplifies the task. Frigidaire introduced the Pull ‘N Clean oven in 1958, and continued producing it through the mid-60s. Those wanting wall-ovens found simplicity, too, with a drop-leaf door that opened fully.

In 1930, James Alexander Dewar, a baker for the Continental Baking Company, invented a snack cake we’d come to know and love as the Twinkie. At the time, several machines used to make cream-filled shortcakes collected dust when strawberries were out of season. Like many retro inventions, Dewar’s idea was centered around putting those machine

For many of us, Thanksgiving brings back lots of fond memories. So do the vintage ads that graced magazine and newspaper pages. Many Thanksgiving ads included recipes and tips on making the best turkey, cranberry sauce or unique side dishes. Here’s an early 1950s ad for Reynolds Aluminum Foil. From the ad copy: Don’t let