According to local historian Mike Leibrandt, Madonna’s Beer and Beverage was originally built in 1870 as a single-family home and once sat across from the Weldon Hotel and the Casa Conti Restaurant, now New Life Presbyterian.

In 1912, 478 North Easton Road was the Walden Post Office. Current owner Wayne Madonna’s grandparents bought the building in 1923 and turned it into a general store. 24 years later, it was repurposed as a beer distributor.

Weldon Post Office, courtesy of Wayne Madonna

A Glenside staple for three generations, the detached farmhouse in the back of the property dates back to the early 1800s, according to Wayne’s father, Samuel. Remnants and reminders of the farmhouse still exist today, Wayne said.

“My grandmother, Minnie, started in 1923, and when my dad got out of the service and got married, he had to go to Philly to get a keg of beer. He told my mom that we should start a beer distributor, and that’s how we got our start in 1946. It was part beer, part groceries, which is illegal today.”

Wayne Madonna’s grandfather (right) and two employees, circa 1920s, courtesy of Wayne Madonna

“My grandmother’s grocery business started to slack off, and by 1947 we were all beer,” he said. “I grew up around here, I went to St. Luke’s. At the time we didn’t have a warehouse, we just had a barn for my grandmother’s chickens and turkeys. When I’d come home from school, I’d take returnable bottles and put them in the barn. That was my chore for the day. I’ve been there all my life. My brother, Timothy, who passed away six years ago, and I took over in 1985.”

The genesis of Madonna’s ‘True Horseshoe Drive-thru,” published in 1966 by Glenside Life, courtesy of Wayne Madonna

“We had a wild cat in the store, and it got in the rafters and had three babies. We each took one. These are the little side things that happen over the years,” he said.

If you’ve ever wondered how the keg on top of Madonna’s Pepsi sign got there (or if you’ve never noticed it all), here’s the story:

“I think the Pepsi sign went in around 1962, and a couple years later my dad bet someone that he could put a keg on top of the building. All these years, some people don’t realize that there’s a keg there. It’s been there almost 60 years and it’s still in the good shape,” Wayne said.

The image below shows the keg atop the Pepsi sign:

From the “About Us” section of their website:

Since 1947, we have provided Glenside, Pa with a large selection of domestic, imported and craft beers, sodas, ice, propane and more! Our ‘‘drive-thru’ service is a huge hit! This sets us apart from any other distributor in the area because our friendly and knowledgeable staff will greet you in line, then immediately step into our 34 degree refrigerator for ice cold beer and kegs for fast and convenient service.

For more on Madonna’s Beer Distributors, you can visit their Facebook page and website.

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Photos: Google, Wayne Madonna