The year was 1911 and young Giacomo Andrea, who recently arrived from the Italian province of Calabria, set up shop in a piano crate on Holland Avenue (now called 22nd Avenue.) He sold tobacco and candies to men and women who were on their way to and from work at the Vincent Springs factory and the other area businesses.

Four years later, Jack, as he came to be known, moved his business to a store on 60th Street. Fans whirled above the Italian marble soda fountain counter where Jack dispensed ice cream extravaganzas that soon became Sunday afternoon traditions. The business grew, as did Jack’s family. Jack moved to the current location at 2401 60th Street, filling the store with the sweet smells of confectionary and filling the apartment above with children, aunts and uncles. On cool summer evenings, friends would drop by to have sodas, smoke cigars, and talk into the early hours of the morning. During the day, children would rush in to buy penny candies and sugar cones filled with the rich ice cream that was now being made on the premises. In fact, it was at Andrea’s that the rippling process was invented (fudge-ripple ice cream), as Antonio “Tony” Giantonio brought artistry to the manufacture of ice cream.

In the 1950’s the second generation of Andreas took up where Jack left off…still making “with love” old-fashioned sodas, sundaes, and thick malts and expanding the restaurant to serve complete meals. The tobacco shop also grew, offering custom-blended tobaccos and a larger selection of pipes and accessories.

In 1968 Andrea’s closed for two weeks to remodel the building, which now numbered three. The original entrance at the corner of 24th Avenue and 60th Street was bricked in to form the back wall of the humidor room. The Italian marble soda fountain counter was moved to its present home in the café. A bay window was installed to showcase the expanded gift collection. Where passers-by once looked in to the ice cream manufactory, they now saw gleaming table-top arrangements and cozy holiday gift displays.

It’s been nearly a century since Jack opened his piano crate for business. And yet, Andrea’s continues to value the friendships with the generations of Kenoshans who grew up with us. We hope that our commitment to service and quality will continue to foster the family traditions that were established so many years ago. In fact, we’re dedicated to the proposition that the good old days are today at Andrea’s.