� WHATS ALL THAT FIZZ….Our wonderful friends from Kast Iron Soda Works, Salem Ohio- working with our East Palestine Historical Society…are bringing this timeless experience back to life downtown EP from 11am to 3pm during morning activities July 12th @150year Celebration!! Pull up a seat fill your cup with soda water from the tap and choose your flavor!!! Stir, sip, and take a step back in time.
Hint! Hint! There might just be an opportunity to take home a keepsake to share with generations to come!!
Est. 1914 – Flays Soda Sparkling Beverage,Family-Owned for Over 50 Years
In the early 1900s, before soda giants took over the shelves, East Palestine had its own effervescent empire: The East Palestine Bottling Works, founded by Paul Grim in 1914. Housed in what was once Grim’s first home, the company was a true family affair. Paul and his wife Mamie Grim raised 11 children while running the bottling line from their own building, hand-filling and flavoring a wide range of beverages.
By 1920, the company had moved to 158 E. Martin St., undergoing several rebrandings—including as Flay’s Sparkling Beverages—before becoming a staple refreshment provider in the tri-county area.
The Grims produced over 21 flavors, including nostalgic favorites like:
Cheer Up
Red Ribbon
Chocolate Pop
Bottles were returned, washed, and reused—a sustainable practice ahead of its time. Children helped stack bottles, and deliveries were made in wagons pulled by horses named Kit and Bird, later replaced by trucks like the one driven by Flavel H. Grim in the 1950s.
In 1947, Flavel took over and kept the bubbles flowing until the mid-1960s, supplying areas like Columbiana, Beaver Falls, and Lisbon.
Mamie Grim also operated Grim’s Tea Room, a beloved gathering spot in East Palestine, until the early 1950s.
Flay’s wasn't just a soda—it’s a symbol of East Palestine’s entrepreneurial spirit and the legacy of a family who poured love and fizz into every bottle.
