- Delirium Tremens, about a beer that I previously drank in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- A European swallow, about a Monty Python-branded ale.
- But Galco's is really about soda, with a picture of Jolt Cola.
- Part of Galco's Soda Selection.
Welcome to Galco's Soda Pop Stop, where you will find over 450 different sodas in glass bottles and half forgotten candies. (Yes, we do also carry over 500 different beers from around the world, but these are not yet available online.). You may have seen us in such magazines as AARP, Westways, and Sunset, and on such television programs as "Visiting With Huell Howser" on PBS, The Food Channel's "Unwrapped", CBS "Sunday Morning" or "Modern Marvels" on the History Channel.
My wife and I were out at Galco's because of the "Unwrapped" segment. I haven't seen Huell Howser's visit, but I bet it went something like this:
HUELL HOWSER (with incredulous tone of voice): So MOST of these sodas still use SUGAR?
JOHN NESE: Yes, they do.
HUELL HOWSER (with incredulous tone of voice): WOW!
Actually, I like Huell Howser, even when he gets political, but you have to admit that he has a distinctive style.
Here's a little more about Galco's and John Nese:
The business began as a small Italian grocery store in Los Angeles, California. It has been family owned and operated for over one-hundred years....[W]e still maintain our Italian deli in the back of our retail store. We originally became known for our "Blockbuster" sandwiches which are made fresh daily.
The passion for soda began when John F. Nese was a child. His father's best friend owned a soda pop bottling plant where John loved to visit in the 1950's. At that time, he also spent his summers at Happy Camp. It was here that he would dream of how he could hook the natural, bubbling spring water, add syrup and siphon it to his elementary school's drinking fountains. In 1995 John began increasing his assortment of sodas not only out of love, but also as a protest to some of the larger soda companies that were not offering him the same prices as his larger competitors. He figured why not support other small businesses such as his own?...
John's love of history and trivia extends to his sodas. People who visit the retail store are impressed with his ability to share an interesting fact about any soda of interest.
I can attest to this. While my wife and I were shopping, John was more than happy to discuss various aspects of the sodas with us.
The store is located at 5702 York in Los Angeles.
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