After nearly 15 years of being a major attraction in Harmar Village, the Marietta Soda Museum is no more.

Located at 109 Maple St., in a building that formerly housed the Maple Cafe, the museum was popular with locals and tourists alike.

“It was like the old five-and-dime stores where you could sit at the counter and have lunch or just have a soda. They had great milkshakes,” said Joyce Iaderosa, who works for attorney Bill Burton’s office a few doors down from the museum.

“They didn’t serve fast-food there, it was always made to order,” she said. “We will miss it. The museum brought a lot of people here, too. We’re hoping someone will put in another ice cream parlor or soda shop.”

The museum was originally housed in a building across the street from the current location and was called Butch’s Coca-Cola Museum and Dad’s Collectibles Shop, operated by late Harmar residents Butch Badgett and his father, James Badgett, from 1991 to 2001.

Shortly afterward Ralph Waldeck took over operation of the museum and moved it into the 109 Maple St. facility. The name was later changed to the Marietta Soda Museum.

Chuck Swaney, who formerly operated the FOUND antiques store next door to the soda museum, called it a blast from the past.

“It was clean and recalled the 1950s era, a great business that was well done,” he said. “It will be greatly missed. It’s sad, over the years there were many people who traveled here specifically to go to that museum. And if it’s closed that’s fewer people who will go to the Harmar Village to shop.”

Don Wilson, co-owner of Wilson Heating Inc., directly across Maple Street from the facility, said he often had lunch at the soda museum.

“They had panini, hot dogs and ice cream, of course,” he said. “My wife and I enjoyed the Sundae for Two.”

Diana Harris, secretary for Wilson Heating, said groups of school children from other counties would come to Marietta to see the museum.

“Sometimes the business was slow there,” Wilson added. “You never knew if there would be 10 people or two people there for lunch.”

Ralph Waldeck’s brothers, Bill and Wayne Waldeck, now own the building at 109 Maple St. that, in addition to the former museum space on the first floor, includes upstairs apartments.

Bill Waldeck said the brothers plan to do some repairs to the building and make it available for sale or lease.

Several attempts to contact Ralph Waldeck to determine why he decided to close the museum were unsuccessful.

Ralph Waldeck has reportedly sold the Coca-Cola and other soda shop memorabilia that was located inside the soda museum to an auctioneer.