Doe Brothers Old Fashioned Soda Fountain

Story and photos by Elizabeth Rauf

Tony and Ruth Ann Marchi bought the Doe Brothers property in December 2005. They decided to keep the original name to evoke a sense of nostalgia, they said.

     As you walk up Broadway, the main street in Philipsburg, you see one historical building after another, all painted in pretty pastels and bright colors.
     But only one has the phrase, “Any time is ice cream time,” painted on its window.
     That store is the Doe Brothers Old Fashioned Soda Fountain, owned by Tony and Ruth Ann Marchi.
     When the Marchis visited Philipsburg, the little town 55 miles west of Butte, in 2004, they had no intention of settling there, much less staying and opening a business.
     “We went to the Sweet Palace, stayed at the Broadway Hotel, left and never had another thought about it,” Tony said.
     For the 12 years prior to their move to Philipsburg, the Marchis had worked in a seasonal business, running concession stands at the University of Virginia for six months out of the year, and the other six in Panama City Beach, Fla. But the Marchis said they got tired of all the traffic in the South and decided to move west. They had been looking at real estate, but said there was a sense of urgency in 2005 because they saw property prices rising.
     We stayed in Anaconda and looked in Red Lodge and Whitefish, but never really looked at Philipsburg, Tony said.
     “But one day, we had come into town to buy candy at The Sweet Palace for our son’s platoon. We were backing out and saw the ‘For Sale’ sign, and we thought it was a cool store. We closed on the property in December 2005.” The building was built by M.E. Doe and his brother-in-law J.D. Thomas. They built it in 1887, and it was split into the Modoni Grand Hotel and Restaurant and the Doe Drug store.
     For Ruth Ann, the people who live in Philipsburg is what made the difference.
     “We talked to the townspeople, and they were so warm and genuine; extremely helpful and supportive,” she said.
     The Marchis remodeled the restaurant. The only part that stayed the same is the soda fountain, which was installed in the 1920s and has an Italian marble See DOE BROTHERS, Page D3 front.
     They’re now serving milkshakes, Italian sodas, soups, chili and sandwiches. Their most popular sandwich is the Pretzel Bread Rueben.

     When the Marchis arrived in April 2006, Tony said, the place needed work. The Marchis worked for six weeks to get the restaurant ready.
     The first thing we did was put up “Under new ownership” banners on all the billboards, Tony said. “Then we corrected the problems with really good food, friendly and quick service and a wonderful atmosphere.” For Ruth Ann, the hardest thing was getting the business started without Tony, who went back East to work for a while. Although things not working properly was also tough.
     “We had to fabricate parts to get the soda fountain to work.” And the Marchis know what they want to give tourists when it comes to atmosphere. Tony said he and Ruth Ann have traveled and they know what they like.
     “We wanted create an atmosphere so the traveler/tourist felt like they had stepped back in time,” Tony said. “We normally play old cowboy music so people know what it used to be like and they carry that home with them.” Ruth Ann agreed that the history is something they need to preserve.
     “History is not just something to study in a book,” she said. “It’s our past.” He said the biggest help in running the business is having been travelers themselves — dining out, staying in hotels and knowing what satisfies them.
     And the Marchis hope to continue to cater to the needs of Philipsburg visitors. Next fall, they intend to start renovations on the upper floor of their building. They hope to turn the two apartments into six historically correct rooms with 600-thread count sheets.
     “By doing historical rooms, we hope to play into why people come to Philipsburg,” Tony said.
     They also hope to start serving a more up-scale evening menu, and have applied for their liquor license. Tony said they don’t want to become a bar, but would like to serve fine wines.
     “We’ve got to keep going with new stuff; we don’t want to get stale with the public,” Tony said. “You always need to be looking at how to better yourself.”
     The Doe Brothers Old Fashioned Soda Fountain is located at 120 E. Broadway in Philipsburg. The phone number is 859-7677.
     The restaurant will be open again May 1 for the summer, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. It’s usually open year round, but the Marchis are doing renovation to move the kitchen to the back.