Either way, flavor choices were probably limited and the colors were probably bright and artificial.
Jeanne Chang, who grew up in California but has lived from coast to coast remembers those ice pops, too. But as an adult, she's always found all-natural alternatives she liked better. That is, until she and her family moved to Philly a year ago.
Finding no natural fresh-fruit ice pops, she and her husband decided to make their own, and they sell them at their Lil Pop Shop, 265 S. 44th Street in West Philadelphia.
The shop's tiny kitchen is big enough for Chang to puree fresh fruit and other ingredients she buys from local farms, freeze pops and wrap them. The creative flavors...all made in small batches of fewer than 100, are sold out of a freezer case at the front of the store.
The orange pops you'll find there are not the brilliant color you remember as a kid, but the flavor will be brilliant, combined with other interesting ingredients...maybe a spice or a dairy product. You can be sure your choice won't be something available anywhere else, and it probably won't be available in a month, either. It's all fresh, seasonal and fun.
Chang says her initial summer has been a big success, but she expects business in September to pick up, with kids back in school and their nearby Penn campus coming back to life.
The store will be open year-round and Chang has big plans for the year-end holiday season, maybe offering adults pops made from tequila or margarita flavorings.
The store also owns a pushcart is uses to bring its products to other venues, and there's talk of opening other stores elsewhere in Philadelphia. Lil Pop Shop has no website, but you may phone them at 215-222-5829.
