If you’ve ever driven down Zion Road in Egg Harbor Township, you’ve probably wondered why there is a 20-Foot-Tall California Raisin next to Little’s Dairy Bar. And how did it ever get there?
As a pop culture phenomenon, the California Raisins peaked in the late 1980s. One of their fans lived in Wildwood, New Jersey and built a 20-foot-tall Raisin for his miniature golf course on the Wildwood boardwalk. Years later, the golf course went out of business in the early 1990s.
The mini-golf Raisin, however, had a fan in Richard Little, owner of the popular Little’s Dairy Bar. He rescued the wrinkly icon, trucked it up the coast and several miles inland, and stood it in the front yard of his house, next to his ice cream stand that he had opened in 1973. People seemed not to mind that it had nothing to do with ice cream. In fact, customers gradually stopped referring to the business as Little’s Dairy Bar. They called it (and still do) “The Raisin.”
Laura and Joseph Laport took over the business in 1999. They created the ice cream cone the Raisin is now seen holding.
“He is sturdy, but he needs a makeover. We would like to paint him and put a baseball cap on him with an L for Little’s,” shared owner, Laura Laport.
“Little’s is a small family business. With my 3 daughters working there through high school and college, I always knew where they were.” Laport chuckled. Laura’s daughters all went into education and still spend their summers working there, along with about nine other employees. Laura still works a shift or two but is mostly enjoying her four grandchildren now ranging from 3-7 years old.
Little’s is still going strong after all these years.
On any summer evening you will see steady lines at Little’s Dairy Bar or “The Raisin.”
