Memories up for bid at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour in Riverside

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- It's the end of an era for Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour and Restaurant. The empty parking lot and "available for lease" signs are a sad sight.

Farrell's in Riverside - now closed - is auctioning off almost everything inside and outside the store.

"Just a lot of fun, a lot of laughter, the kids really enjoyed it," said Judy Haraka of Riverside. "Good memories, perfect memories. You couldn't ask for happier times."

But while the restaurant is now closed, she and anyone else who wants to pony up the money will soon be able to bring some of those memories home with them.

Almost everything inside the restaurant, and even some of the stuff outside, is now up for auction.

"It's over, but instead of it getting trashed or thrown out, we realize the value and we get to re-home all this," said Johan Graham of I15 Auctions in Victorville.

Signage, lamps and memorabilia. Even the model Statue of Liberty near the front lobby.

"That's already getting pretty high, it's at $1,000 right now," said Graham.

"We have their ice cream sign, the legendary mustache, stickers to the lapel pins," said Graham. "We're even selling the sign outside the building. We have the player pianos, we have umbrellas, we're selling the troughs that the sundaes were brought to the kids," Graham said.

Even the Farrell's delivery truck parked around the side door is available for bidding.

Several Farrell's locations have already closed their doors. The current owner now only operates one other location in Southern California, in Buena Park. But Graham says it too is changing.

"Buena Park is one of the restaurants that will remain open, and it will be going through a new branding," said Graham.

She said it means everything up for auction at the Riverside location is now vintage and collectible.

The first lots close at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 14. The Farrell's location in Riverside will be open for the public to come preview the available items from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Sept. 13. The location is 3610 Park Sierra Dr. in Riverside.