Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Lost Memphis The Sno Cream Castle
Posted by Vance Lauderdale on Wed, Jul 28, 2010 at 10:17 AM
And the "queen" of the Sno Cream Castle was a Memphian named Edith Humber, who opened her tiny ice-cream eatery and sno-cone shop back in 1964. Despite our steamy summers (some things never change), it was slow-going at first for the fledgling business. In a story about the place that we published in the May 1994 issue of Memphis magazine, written by my pal Dawne Massey, Humber said she made only $30 a day the first few weeks. It wasn't long, though, before sales increased by $10,000 each year for the next decade or so.
The reason for her success? "Because I put my whole life and soul into it, I guess," she said. "The first thing is a good product — you've got to have good food. And you've got to be friendly, and you've got to show the people that you appreciate them."
Humber added hot dogs, hamburgers, and foot-long pronto pups to her menu, but she told us that she never changed her ice-cream recipes over the years. Customers knew better than to even ask for low-fat ice cream or yogurt: "The biggest reason I don't want to change is because people have always asked me why mine tastes better than anybody else's, and I say, 'If you've got something going good, why change?' And it's low butterfat, so it's not real fattening anyway."
Humber said she rarely, if ever, advertised. People flocked to her "castle" because they heard about it from their friends and family. "The kids would save their lunch money at school to come here," she said. "Then they'd go home and tell their parents, 'We had a Rainbow [one of her popular sno-cone flavors]. Then on the weekends the parents would come up and say, 'Do you have something called a Rainbow?' and it would spread like wildfire."
Ill health forced Humber to close the Sno Cream Castle a few years after our 1994 interview. When she passed away in 1997 at the age of 71, the business died with her. It's now a vacant lot. When you drive by there, it's depressing to see what a tiny amount of space it occupied, but boy what a lot of memories it still holds for so many people in Memphis.
- Sno Cream Castle Menu Board
Comments (20)
Showing 1-20 of 20
My husband grew up in that area and took me there when we were dating in the '70s. After just one Blue Eagle snow cone, I was never the same. I enjoyed being a Sno Cream Castle addict and recovery was out of the question. When we bought our first house, it was just down the street @ Getwell and Rhodes. A coincidence? I think not. :)
like
dislike
How I miss this place. I would ride my bike there at least once a week (about 3 miles) just to get ice cream.
We used to frequent that place with neighbors and kids when I lived in East Memphis. Sad to see it gone.
I grew up near there and loved the rainbow snow cones! We also loved the Frost Top on Getwell. They had the best root beer ever!
Yep, me too. I remember sitting outside at the sticky picnic tables. The bees were murder.
Our other ice cream place was the Tropic Hut on Cherry north of Willow.
If I'm not mistaken, before she opened at Getwell and Willow, she was first located on the corner of Park and Highland in a little opening in the side of the building that was Hamm-Kirk Drive In. It was on the Highland side and was about the size of a large closet. I used to stop there walking home from grade school in the late '50s and early '60s and get my favorite sno cone flavor — "Old Gold," and my second favorite was "Popeye."
I used to live on Rhodes near Getwell as well. Loved having a Tops within walking distance!
We were raised on Willowview...next road over and my Mom lived there 50+ years...we walked for 5 years to South Park School...everyday by the Sno Cream Castle...there were 6 of us brothers and sisters and we were the ones you were talking about that saved our lunch money! LOL ...We got in trouble when our Mom found out! LOL... We visited the Sno Cream Castle MANY MANY times...I remember after my Mom's ballgames, we'd always go by the there! I remember most...the "TWIST"...chocolate and vanilla mix...YUM! the BEST ice cream ever! I took a picture just like the one posted here...had it blown up poster size...and framed it and it hangs in my dining room :) Great conversation piece...even for now...our children that remember getting ice cream there.
I used to work near it from 1987 to 2003 and used to get chili dogs from there at lunch. I seem to remember a fire? Maybe that was after it closed, though?
I grew up in Sherwood Forest and the Sno Cream Castle was my favorite place. For a while, my dad took me there every day for a "strawberry & old gold with extra juice". The cost was 91 cents. I know there's Jerry's over on Wells, but I wonder if the ice is as fine and snow-like as the ones from the Sno Cream Castle. I live out in Cordova these days, but I'd still make the trek to the Sno Cream Castle if it was still there.
What a great picture of the Sno-Cream Castle! I knew Edith Humber - she and her family went to my church, Colonial Baptist. She was a dear lady. I couldn't count the times my family stopped by there for hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream, and of course, the sno cones. Very nice memories of a special place and a special lady.
Like the previous poster mentioned, the vacant building was destroyed by a fire years after it had shut down. It was getting pretty dilapidated. One day an old pickup with engine trouble pulled under the canopy overhang. The truck caught fire which spread to the building. Quickly, the building was gone. The charred truck and building sat there for months before (I guess) the city cleaned it up. Don't know if they were ever able to track the truck's owner down.
Thank you for this article! I have often driven past that location and wondered about that place.
I grew up going to church at the other end of Willow, and passed this on the way each week. That picture brings back so many memories!
Vance and those who have fond memories of this place: I have the pleasure of living next to Edith's daughter, and she had this to say after reading the blog notes and comments:
"Mom was dedicated to that business - good products and her customers. I worked with Mother 2/3 of the life of Sno-Cream. We wore the tread off many pairs of tennis shoes on those concrete floors. We all learned a strong work ethic by her example." It is nice to have her and the Sno-Cream remembered so fondly.
I had the pleasure and blessing of growing up near the Sno Cream Castle. I have vivid memories of us walking from Dunn and Highland on summer nights in the late '70s and early 80s. We had no thoughts of crime on our minds!!!!! Just sno-cones and fun conversation!!!!!!! THANKS FOR THIS BLOG!!! Brian Kettler
I lived off of Goodlett and worked on President's Island in the late '60s and early '70s. I stopped there often for a dip cone. They also served their hot dogs in a paper container that was shaped and printed to resemble a dachshund.
I worked there as a teenager in the summer of 1970. Our family had always gone there for sno-cones and ice cream for years. I loved being able to make all the goodies.
The soft ice cream swirl was a little tricky, but Mr. Humber was patient, and soon I was a pro at it. I really liked the purple cows, remember those? Grape milkshakes! Wow, what a place, I really miss it, so sad that it's gone. We need a place like that nowadays.
We all Loved Mrs Humber, She treated you like family, not a customer. She made the best Chili Dogs in Memphis, still haven't found one as good. When she left that corner, the block changed. Now its a haven for Drugs, And prostitues. Thank you for this memory lesson, its good to hear these types of stories.
