Taking a bit of a detour from researching the many mills and stores that contributed to the building of Holyoke, today's series tells the story of, and offers a nostalgic look at, the Friendly Ice Cream Shops, later Friendly Restaurants, that dotted Holyoke's landscape.
The Friendly's ice cream story has been retold many times over the years. The business was formed in 1935 through the collaboration of brothers Curtis L. and Stewart Prestley Blake. By the end of 1952, there were 11 Friendly's shops either operating or under construction. 4 shops were located in Springfield, 2 in West Springfield, 1 in Longmeadow, and 1 in Lee, with 1 set to open soon in Pittsfield, all in Massachusetts. There were also 2 Connecticut Shops, 1 in Thompsonville and the other in Rocky Hill. Another was planned for Great Barrington, Massachusetts
On December 30, 1952, S. Prestley Blake announced plans for an ice cream and sandwich shop in Holyoke. The restaurant would offer dine-in and take-out service. The site selected was on Appleton Street at the northeast corner of Oak Street. An artist's rendition of the restaurant was unveiled 3 weeks later.
The Appleton Street property had long been occupied by George Sinclair, who operated a greenhouse and florist shop. The business went under the name Sinclair, The Florist, and the story was conveyed in a January 2026 blog entry. Mr. Sinclair moved his business to Smith's Ferry, and the greenhouse, florist shop, and a house at 166 Oak Street, corner of Appleton Street, were razed in 1943. The land remained vacant thereafter.
Friendly began advertising for employees to manage, cook, and serve customers in the new Holyoke location in April 1953. The restaurant opened at 435 Appleton Street on April 30, 1953, and was managed by Holyoke resident Daniel A. Ryan, who had previously managed the Riverdale Road location in West Springfield. Mr. Ryan was a graduate of New York University and NYU's School of Business Administration. He served from 1941-1945 in the armed forces as a B-24 bombardier-navigator, flying 33 missions over Germany.
One interesting feature I recall from the first menu shown below was that customers paid upon delivery of their meals. It was not unusual to receive multiple checks if a dessert item or a takeout order was placed during the visit.
In 1953, Friendly advertised half-gallon containers of ice cream for $1.15 and, for the holiday season, a package of 6 Holiday Snowballs for $1.25. The latter was described as "Made of Vanilla Ice Cream, garnished with macaroon coconut and topped with red and green whipped cream jelly." On Christmas Day, the shop would open for 2 hours from 11 A. M. to 1 P. M. to exclusively sell half gallons of ice cream and Snow Balls.
In May 1956, company officials announced that a second Friendly Ice Cream Shop would open in the autumn. The shop would seat 35 and follow the same architectural layout as the company's other 22 shops. The menu would include its traditional 10 sandwich offerings, along with prepared-to-order and packaged ice cream desserts. The shop opened on January 17, 1957, and was located towards the center of the plaza at the time.
In June 1958, the company announced it would construct a $1 million ice cream plant. The plant site selected was Wilbraham. City of Holyoke officials had hoped the company would select space in an area designated for industrial expansion. However, there was no road access at the time. Over the course of a decade, the company planned to increase the number of restaurants from 35 to 120.
The story continues in the next chapter, when another Friendly Ice Cream Shop opens in Holyoke.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Genealogy Records and Price & Lee, Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
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