I’ve written before that my great-grandfather Adrian Zuidweg, Sr. owned a candy and soda shop at the corner of Burdick and Balch in Kalamazoo.
At one time I believed that Grandpa (son Adrian) had taken over the business when his father died, but in researching for this blog I discovered that Adrian Sr. had sold the business before he died. Grandpa bought it back after his father’s death. Then he converted it to a service station.
Here is an advertising ashtray for the station. Notice the A-Z Lubrication (Adrian Zuidweg–AZ–get it?) The 5 digit phone number might put this ashtray between 1950 and 1958, but if anyone has information to the contrary I would love to hear it. If you want to find out more about advertising ashtrays as part of history and as collectibles, here’s a succinct article: Ashtrays collectible memorabilia
The Family Kalamazoo 
Wonderful moment of the business. Had you had it or did you recently find this treasure. How cleaver he was with A to Z 🙂
Haha that slogan used to fascinate me when I was a kid. My parents gave it to me awhile back.
Luanne, my maternal grandfather owned a candy and soda shoppe in the little Texas town where I grew up – he died when my mom was ten years old. He also owned a cafe, a root beer stand, and a movie theater throughout his unsuccessful business ventures. He actually died from pneumonia in the hospital after an automobile accident that happened while he was delivering ice cream to rural customers. He left my grandmother with four children, no money. No one really talked about him much – I figured out the little I know from pictures. Once again you and I share a history.
What a story! How sad, too, that with all his trying, all his persistence, nothing took. Was your grandmother angry, do you think?
You know, I never knew. We lived in her house with her until I was 13, and she was the center of warmth for me in my house. She was funny, playful always loving with me. But she suffered deep depression in her years after we moved away. And in her correspondence I have found with one of her sisters in Houston, I think she masked her real feelings for me as a child. Anger, I’m sure, on some level.
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It looks as though the ash tray was never used? I got a kick out of the A-Z Lubrication!
Haha me too!
Oops, about the ashtray: most of my family didn’t smoke, so probably not!