High's Dairy Store facts for kids
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Trade name
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High's |
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Formerly
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High's Ice Cream (1928–1941) |
| Private | |
| Industry |
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| Founded | 1928 |
| Founder | L.W. High |
| Headquarters |
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
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Number of locations
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60 |
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Area served
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Baltimore metropolitan area |
| Products |
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High's of Baltimore, LLC, known simply as High's, is a company that runs gas stations and convenience stores. You can find their stores in and around Baltimore, Maryland. As of 2022, High's had 60 locations. Most of these are in Maryland, but three are in Delaware. Long ago, High's was famous for its ice cream. It was once the biggest ice cream store chain in the world! They had over 500 stores in many states like Virginia, Delaware, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C..
Contents
High's History
The Start of High's
High's began as High's Ice Cream in 1928. It was an ice cream shop founded by L.W. High in Richmond, Virginia. In 1938, James R. High Jr. and two partners bought the company. At that time, there were 16 stores and an ice cream factory in Richmond.
Growing the Business
In 1941, a company called Convenient Systems, Inc. bought High's. By then, High's had grown to 50 stores. The company continued to expand. By 1976, it was acquired by Capital Milk Producers Cooperative. They helped High's grow even more, reaching 350 High's Dairy Stores and Restaurants.
Changes and New Focus
In 1987, the stores in Virginia and West Virginia were sold. Many of these became 7-Eleven stores, while others closed. High's then started to focus more on gas stations.
Fuel at High's gas stations used to be supplied by companies like Shell and Citgo. In 2011, High's began selling its own brand of fuel at a new station in Chester, Maryland.
On March 1, 2012, Carroll Independent Fuel Company bought High's. After this, most High's stores stopped selling Shell or Citgo fuel. They started selling High's-branded fuel, which Carroll supplied. Many stores also got a new look. Some High's locations still sell Shell-branded fuel today. High's main office is now in Carroll's headquarters in Baltimore.
High's Ice Cream
High's was once very famous for its ice cream. In 1989, the right to make High's brand ice cream was sold to Kay's Ice Cream. This company was based in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Until 2010, there was still a High's Ice Cream shop in Portsmouth, Virginia. However, it sold Hershey's brand ice cream, not High's. This old shop still had its original look, including the black and white checkerboard floor tiles. These tiles were a classic feature of High's Ice Cream stores.
Today, High's still sells its own brand of ice cream. You can find it in quart-sized containers. They also offer several kinds of hand-dipped ice cream.
