The business can trace its roots back more than a century, and has maintained a loyal following of customers that consider it a Dayton tradition.
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For this edition of Vintage Dayton, we went into the archives to tell the story of Smales, originating with Rudolph “Rudie” Schaaf on Warren Street in 1906.
More on Dayton food history
• Dayton food history: How 5 beloved businesses got their start
• Dayton’s first pizza chain: Cassano’s and the taste of success
• 5 things to love about the epic Dayton chocolate-maker Esther Price
Did you know?
Here are a few great Dayton history facts we’ve learned from our stories:
• Historical marker: The official historical marker noting the Wright brothers' achievement in invented powered flight sits in front of the Engineers Club of Dayton on Monument Avenue.
• Girls basketball champions: Alter High School will try to become the latest girls basketball state champion from the area today. It would join a list of 20 state title winners in Dayton-area history.
• Rob Lowe: We first featured Rob Lowe in the Dayton Daily News in 1976, talking with him about his first role in a Wright State play as a 12-year-old.
• Clown tragedy: One of the world’s most famous circus clowns was from Dayton, and he was found murdered in his New York hotel room in April 1965.
We want your help!
Do you have any requests or ideas that you would like to see us cover in this history newsletter?
What about cool old photos or stories of your own?
Let us know and we’ll include them in future newsletters.
After news last week that AT&T was selling a Second Street building, we had a reader ask us for more information about its history. The building at Second and Wilkinson was built by the Ohio Bell Telephone company in 1930.
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Thank you for reading.
