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"When construction crews completely razed the original Santa Monica location earlier this year, I wondered if it would return — yesterday the 76-year-old business reopened on the same site in a brand-new, larger building with upgraded infrastructure. Despite the revamp, the essentials remain: the signature bright colors and uniforms, hand-churned lemonade, and the deep-fried goods on a stick that define the experience. Founded in 1946 by Dave Barham as an ice cream and lemonade stand called Party Puffs, the spot evolved when Barham began selling corndogs made from his mother’s cornbread recipe, hawking them at county fairs using his Lincoln Continental as a power source before expanding through California shopping malls; there are now about 70 locations across the U.S., and the company is 100% employee-owned." - Mona Holmes