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The Franklin Fountain: History, Antiques & Delectable Confections…Just Around The Corner!

Brothers Ryan and Eric Berley serve far more than beverages at the magical Franklin Fountain in Old City. Pennsylvania history experts, rare antique purveyors, and delightful intellectuals – The proprietors of The Franklin Fountain are currently brewing a bracing and lingering dose of good old fashioned values and practices.

Since Art In The Age is the proverbial New Kid in (Old City) Town, I took a stroll around the corner to visit Ryan. We “talked shop”, swapped stories, and perused some incredible antiques. The ideas upon which The Fountain was founded and continues to operate, seem to intermingle most amiably with the principles that we believe in:

- Honest labor
- Respect for shared histories
- Innovation that is both insightful, informed, and productive.

Both The Franklin Fountain and Art In The Age take their names and philosophies from great thinkers and doers: Benjamin Franklin and Walter Benjamin. (Their Hybrid Child: Walter Benjamin Franklin?!?!?)

“Leading with values…It’s what we both do, and what is hard to find today,” said Ryan.

Here you will find documentation of my discoveries and delights as I took a stroll down this history-laden lane…

Street view: The iconic façade. In person, it is easier to see the pastel painting on the side of the building, spanning four stories!

The Proprietor: Ryan Berley – Pennsylvania native, antiquity extraordinaire, and your humble Franklin Fountain host.

The Menu: New & Old Unite! Some drinks, Ryan points out, are taken from the original recipes, unchanged and untainted – such as The Japanese Thirst Killer
However, the extensive ice cream flavor list (The Fountain makes its own ice cream in North Philly!) is not as historically accurate – A Prohibition-era soda fountain would only have offered one or two flavors, due to lack of refrigeration technology…

Poor Richard’s Root Beer: The Berleys also make their own Root Beer for use in the signature Root Beer Float! It is not as sweet, but much richer than the plastic bottles of artificial flavorings we buy in the convenience store. Their syrup is based on the original recipe for Hires Root Beer, original to Pennsylvania! The dispensing barrel shown here is an antiques, outfitted with carbonation mechanisms and spigot.

My First “Real” Root Beer: Ahh!

THE REAL DEAL: Original Hires Root Beer Syrup bottle…”For Home Use”

THE REAL DEAL: Original Hires Root Beer shipping crate

Other Soda Novelties: Including Blenheim Ginger Ale (second from left)…the spiciest kick in the pants I’ve consumed in recent history. Had to catch my breath after taking a swig!

Other Fountain Paraphernalia: Ice cream molds and accessories. Housed under glass in a tabletop. These small tables were popular in soda fountains of yore. Goods for sale could be displayed and promoted in the tabletops where customers enjoyed their drinks. The tables were also made so that triangular-shaped chairs could tuck underneath like a puzzle. Typical Fountains were very narrow and long (as many began as bars before Prohibition), and this furniture design was a great space-saver…

Apothecary Paraphernalia: In addition to soda fountain ephemera, Ryan collects apothecary antiques. This glass vessel was a standard sight in the windows of apothecary and drug stores. It was filled with a colored liquid that corresponded to an illness or plague prevalent in the town at the time. At The Franklin Fountain, the upper windows are lined with vessels like this one, filled with different colored liquid.

Signature Clear Toy Candy:  A Pennsylvania German tradition for the holidays. Edible works of art made from original molds!

What Would Ben Franklin Do?:  Down to every last detail!

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A hearty Thank you to Ryan Berley for his time and sharing his wealth of knowledge. I will be stopping back in sooner than later for more good conversation, and a REAL Root Beer Float!