3V Cola

Re:3V Cola (billshaw)

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 17:20:36 GMT

OMG, I can't believe I found your quote, I am not so prone to such excitement, but for the past few years I have thought about 3V Cola, and I quote their slogan all the the time. A moment ago I was encouraging someone about something in their life and again reached for the slogan, My spell checker rejected Vim, so I went to trusty ole Google to do a quick search and found your message about 3V cola and St. Joe. Too cool...I grew up in St. Joe and also found 3V cola and also, when I am in the mood to be a smarty pants also bring up the trivia of 3V Cola being the first 16oz bottle. Reading your quote caused me to wonder if I had written it myself. I quickly joined this group so I could reply to your post. I am not sure this will find you at the same level of astonishment as it obviously has me, but I thought I would comment just to satisfy my own quirkiness. My best to you. I also saw a quote where the 3V cola add was on the side of the building, the next time I am up that way, and I am fairly often, I am going to try and find that building. Smiles. Bill Shaw.

lhskid

More is Better?
by Steve Allen
[size=3 font="times new roman"]
As a young boy, I was drinking soda for years around here in St Joseph, MO. My parents ran a combination gas station, cafe, beer joint, dance hall, junk yard, car repair establishment in a small 350 population town (Amazonia) near St Joseph. I used to help pump gas (full service in those days) and of course other jobs too numerous to list. I enjoyed playing the pin ball machines in my spare time between customers and I would also sort returnable pop bottles into their respective brand wooden cases. Bob, the Pepsi delivery man, would always give me a free Pepsi for having his bottles sorted and ready when he came to make his route delivery and pick up of empties. I made Pepsi my drink of choice then probably because of this incentive. I remember later I switched to a "3 V Cola" when they started out in the early 1960's as the first 16 ounce bottle. Although it too was a cola, it was "more" for me so I would drink it more than Pepsi or any other brand (more is better). The 3V logo of this new cola stood for Vim, Vigor, and Vitality. 3V was pretty popular around here in the 1960s but has gone by the wayside as many things did in our past. Its impact of being the first 16 oz bottle caused all the other soda pops to move to a standard size of 16 oz also before aluminum cans and plastic bottles took over for the returnable glass bottles.
[size=3 font="times new roman"]
[size=3 font="times new roman"]Today, we still have the 16 oz 3V cola advertising still painted on a building on the high volume traffic street of Frederick Avenue. Looking at it gives me fond memories of my youth and digesting all sorts of soda brands. Recently, I attended an auction and was able to purchase a single empty bottle of that forgotten soda. It made me reminisce my childhood and the fun simple times of growing up in a small family business in a small rural town.

Re:3V Cola (jimbob0207)

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:13:10 GMT

I was born and raised in St. Joseph, MO, home of the Pony Express, where Jesse James was shot and killed, and 3V Cola. It was produced in glass 16 oz returnable bottles at Dewey Avenue and Franklin in the north end, 2 blocks from my home. As a kid growning up in the late 50's and early 60's, any time I walked by the bottleing plant I paused to look in the wooden gated doorway to watch the single file march of 3V Cola bottles wind their way from washing to being capped. The small plant was first known to produce other flavored sodas under the name of KIST, I think. A fun childhood memory...

Re:3V Cola (BuddyRoadhouse)

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:38:26 GMT

I can't believe you've got that photo of that "ghost sign". I took the exact same shot when we were in St. Jo/Kansas City last Christmas visiting relatives and friends. If it weren't so danged complicated to load a photo here I'd post mine too--also the Do-Nut shop and the very cool old time barber's sign that is kitty corner to it.

Also, we've got a vintage 3V Cola bottle given to us by Mrs. Roadhouse's brother.

Buddy

Re:3V Cola (Candacerae)

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:29:14 GMT

This is a great photo! I lived in Mattoon, IL as a little girl, and 3V Cola was a favorite in our household. I remember the taste being something like Coke, not Pepsi. And it was the first 16 oz. pop I ever drank, too. I also remember their tag line of "Vim, Vigor, and Vitality." Nice to know I'm not crazy, because even though I've asked around, no one else seems to remember this brand.

Re:3V Cola (1bbqboy)

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:54:56 GMT

Re:3V Cola (lhskid)

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:30:32 GMT

More is Better?
by Steve Allen
[size=3 font="times new roman"]
As a young boy, I was drinking soda for years around here in St Joseph, MO. My parents ran a combination gas station, cafe, beer joint, dance hall, junk yard, car repair establishment in a small 350 population town (Amazonia) near St Joseph. I used to help pump gas (full service in those days) and of course other jobs too numerous to list. I enjoyed playing the pin ball machines in my spare time between customers and I would also sort returnable pop bottles into their respective brand wooden cases. Bob, the Pepsi delivery man, would always give me a free Pepsi for having his bottles sorted and ready when he came to make his route delivery and pick up of empties. I made Pepsi my drink of choice then probably because of this incentive. I remember later I switched to a "3 V Cola" when they started out in the early 1960's as the first 16 ounce bottle. Although it too was a cola, it was "more" for me so I would drink it more than Pepsi or any other brand (more is better). The 3V logo of this new cola stood for Vim, Vigor, and Vitality. 3V was pretty popular around here in the 1960s but has gone by the wayside as many things did in our past. Its impact of being the first 16 oz bottle caused all the other soda pops to move to a standard size of 16 oz also before aluminum cans and plastic bottles took over for the returnable glass bottles.
[size=3 font="times new roman"]
[size=3 font="times new roman"]Today, we still have the 16 oz 3V cola advertising still painted on a building on the high volume traffic street of Frederick Avenue. Looking at it gives me fond memories of my youth and digesting all sorts of soda brands. Recently, I attended an auction and was able to purchase a single empty bottle of that forgotten soda. It made me reminisce my childhood and the fun simple times of growing up in a small family business in a small rural town.

3V Cola (DennisinKazoo)

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:35:03 GMT

Does anyone remember 3V Cola. Made in Michigan in the mid 50's.
It was the first 16oz. bottle I remember. After drinking it you could belch for 20 sec.