Durham Ice Cream Company

35.99955, -78.908302

800
West Main Street
Durham
NC
Cross Street
North Duke Street
Year built
1920s
Construction type
Masonry
Neighborhood
Downtown West
Use
Restaurant
Ice Cream Company
Hardware Store
Building Type
Commercial
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(Courtesy University of North Carolina)


(Courtesy Duke Archives)

The Durham Ice Cream Company operated from the northwest corner of Main and Duke streets from the early 1920s to until ? - the 1950s. Sometime after this, the building became home to Brunson's. Brunson's Inc. Brunsons was an appliance/TV dealership which had moved from Chapel Hill street in 1966 when construction of the Chapel Hill St. Durham Freeway interchange demolished their store.


Brunsons, February 1966

Brunson's also had several other stores , including a tire/auto repair on Main St and one on Morgan.


Looking south-southwest down Duke St., 1981.
(Courtesy Robby Delius)


Looking west down West Main St. - Brunson's is on the right.

I'm not sure exactly when it shut down, but I do know that the building was remodeled during the 1980s, when it was home to Tijuana Fats Mexican Restaurant. During the 1990s, it became Torrero's, which it remains today.

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Comments

Submitted by Joe (not verified) on Thu, 11/9/2006 - 4:28am

At some point before Torero's, the building housed a business called "Rhumba's Mexicajun Cafe." If you go to the delivery entrance on Duke Street, you can still see where "Rhumba's" is painted above the door. I want to say Rhumba's was around in the late 80s, but I'm not sure -- it was there sometime after 1985.

Submitted by Sven (not verified) on Thu, 11/9/2006 - 11:48am

Thanks Joe. I know that it was Tijuana Fats in 1988, which is when I first came to Durham. So I must have just missed the traditional 'Mexicajun' cuisine of Rhumba's.

GK

Submitted by JD (not verified) on Wed, 6/27/2007 - 7:30pm

This building was home to Brunson's Inc from around 1968 untill 1980's . Brunson's moved from Chapel Hill street when the "freeway" was built .
Brunson's was a TV/appliance/tire store , with locations on West Main St and Morgan St and in Chapel Hill, NC

Submitted by louise barden (not verified) on Wed, 1/1/2014 - 9:45pm

Durham Ice Cream Company was owned by my great uncle Hallett Baer. My father Ernest Schuchardt was the general manager. In the 1950s it was sold to Coble Dairy Products. I can remember going in the back as a child and helping the workers roll nuts on the Nutty Buddies and tasting the freshly churned ice cream. They also made lovely Fantasy Ices thit in the shapes of animals and flowers. No doubt this is a lost art. Daisy and Melvin Watson and Dick Andrews worked at the company.

Submitted by louise barden (not verified) on Wed, 1/1/2014 - 9:45pm

Durham Ice Cream Company was owned by my great uncle Hallett Baer. My father Ernest Schuchardt was the general manager. In the 1950s it was sold to Coble Dairy Products. I can remember going in the back as a child and helping the workers roll nuts on the Nutty Buddies and tasting the freshly churned ice cream. They also made lovely Fantasy Ices thit in the shapes of animals and flowers. No doubt this is a lost art. Daisy and Melvin Watson and Dick Andrews worked at the company.

Submitted by bruce eudy (not verified) on Sat, 5/17/2014 - 12:29pm

Im pretty sure my grandfather worked here in the late 20s

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