Water ice and soft pretzels are not only a match made in heaven but also one of the first signs of spring to many Philadelphians. Pop’s Water Ice, located at 1337 Oregon Ave., has been serving customers for 79 years. “My great-grandfather, who was an immigrant from Italy, walked around with a pushcart. He carted ice and used lemon juice. That’s how Pop’s Water Ice started,” said Joe Raffa, a manager at the store.
What sets Pop’s Water Ice away from corporate competitions, such as Rita’s Water Ice, is that it has a close relationship with the customers.
Raffa explained, “We have tradition and this has been family owned and operated since 1932. so everything we make is authentic and made with love. And because we’re not worried about corporate sales or anything like that so we have a very intimate relationship with our customers. We have very loyal customers and we’re very thankful for that. “
One of those customers, Joe Gariffo of South Philadelphia, was getting his water ice on a cold and rainy day. He said, “I’ve been coming here since I was a little kid, so it’s kind of a loyalty thing.”
I remember when i used to visit my sister she lived across from bok high school we used to go to pops and i remember those old wooden barrels filled with the slushy ice mix and the fruit that was in it lemon was the best this was in 1975 when the flyers won the stanley cup i live in ohio now but i still miss all the great food one day i will be back in philly and cant wait to get somemore pops water ice thanks keep up the good work.