 was
a chain of family-owned dairies and restaurants
started in Mansfield (Richland County), Ohio
with locations throughout the American Midwest
from the early 1900s until the 1970s. It is
best known today for its iconic Klondike Bar
ice cream treat, popularized by the slogan
"What would you do for a Klondike Bar?"
The company was founded by William Isaly,
son of Swiss immigrants who settled in Monroe
County, Ohio in the 1800s. By the early 1960s,
the company boasted retail outlets that stretched
from Pennsylvania to Iowa.
Isalys
early success was attributed to its loose
company structure, which allowed for easy
expansion without corporate overhead. William
Isalys first dairy was established
in Mansfield, Ohio where he acquired
the Mansfield Pure Milk Company. Isaly expanded
the core business from processing milk for
sale to other grocers, to operating his
own retail stores with milk, ice cream,
bread and lunch counter service. Isaly also
pioneered the idea of the modern convenience
store by opening at least one outlet that
also sold gasoline to motorists.
The
first expansion of the business took the
company to Marion, Ohio after acquiring
the Marion Pure Milk Company in 1914. Operated
by Charles Isaly, the Marion operation
was quickly modernized, and business grew
accordingly. From Marion, the company expanded
to Youngstown, Ohio and then Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. Expansion continued through
the 1930s and 1940s with additional dairies
built from Columbus, Ohio (at North High
Street and Arcadia Avenue) west to Iowa.
Pittsburgh residents so highly regarded
Isaly's that the company was considered
a Pittsburgh original.
 In
its advertising, the dairies use the mnemonic
phrase "I
Shall
Always
Love
You
Sweetheart"
to help with the spelling of the Isalys
name. In Marion, Ohio, Isalys fielded
an amateur basketball team that played against
the Marion, Ohio based Jim Thorpe and His
World-Famous Indians and the Buffalo Silents
- a team composed of deaf/mute players.
In
the 1930s, Isalys began a commercial
building program that employed high style
art deco / Art Moderne designed production
facilities and retail outlets, most of which
were designed by architect Vincent (Shooey)
Schoeneman. The Youngstown dairy facility
represented the apex of this project, with
the building dominated by a five-storey
glass block tower.
 In
addition to the Klondike Bar, the dairies
were also known for their unique Skyscraper
Cones, which eschewed round ice cream
scoops, instead using a patented design
that resulted in a long, inverse cone shaped
dip. The company also had great success
in selling Chip-Chopped Ham, sliced
(shaved) razor thin for sandwiches. The
sandwich was featured on the PBS special
Sandwiches That You Will Like. The company
also marketed "immunized milk for infants,
supplied by special isolated herds of cattle."
Shifting
consumer demands, declining sales for home-delivered
milk, as well as corporate consolidation
led to the closing of Isaly facilities beginning
in the 1960s. According to Brian
Butko, author of Klondikes, Chipped
Ham, & Skyscraper Cones: The Story of
Isaly's, it was the loose company structure
in an era of growing corporate homogeny
- that left Isalys unable to compete
on the wholesale and retail levels, leading
to the closure of its dairies beginning
in the mid-1960s.
Several
members of the Isaly family attempted to
continue to operate food-service operations.
In Pittsburgh, Isaly outlets were converted
to the "Sweet William" brand.
In Ohio, restaurants operated under the
"Isaly Shoppe" name until the
mid 1990s when the final outlet closed in
Marion, Ohio.
Since
1984, the Isaly's name has enjoyed a comeback
of sorts, but one not overseen by members
of the Isaly family. Delicatessen Distributing
Incorporated of Evans City, Pennsylvania
purchased the Isaly trademark name and markets
the original quality luncheon meats, cheeses
and sauces under the Isaly name in western
Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. The concern
also distributes Isaly brand ice cream (except
Klondikes) to stores in Western Pennsylvania.
The Klondike Bar product line is now owned
by Unilever.
There
are three Isaly's still in operation in
southwestern Pennsylvania in the areas of
West View, Allegheny East (city neighborhood
of Pittsburgh), and Turtle Creek
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