NORTH SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- What came first, the sweetheart or the corner store?

The iconic Sweetheart Corner sign at the corner of Route 11 and Taft Road is all that remains of the supermarket that opened as a produce stand in 1945.

As one popular legend goes, the corner was named after the airman at the Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, back when it was known as the "Mattydale bomber base." According to the story, that's where the soldiers would pick up and drop off their dates.

But why wouldn't the two sweethearts end their romantic rendezvous closer to the air base? The entrance to the base, off Malden Road, was about 2 1/2 miles from Sweetheart Corner. Surely there's another answer.

The answer to this conundrum (and many other of life's dilemmas) is ice cream.

George T. Gelsomin took over the business from his father-in-law Tom Spinelli and in 1952, he expanded the produce stand into the Sweetheart Market.

The store was named after the Sweetheart Ice Cream and Frozen Custard the family sold. The sweet desserts were packaged in small cardboard cartons, adorned with a man and woman gazing into each other's eyes and two hearts wrapped tightly together with ribbon.

Lee Gelsomin, George T. Gelsomin's wife, told Herald-Journal columnist Dick Case in 1997 that her father and aunt likely came up with the name "because they thought it sounded nice." It was also a play on the name of another local ice cream brand, "Darling."

A liquor store and barber shop were added to the plaza in 1962. In 1978, a new Sweetheart Market was built, doubling the size of the original store.

But in 2003, with business on the decline, the Sweetheart Market closed. The building was torn down and an Eckerd Drugs (now Rite Aid) store was built in its place.

While the store is no longer there, the heart-shaped sign on Sweetheart Corner remains. The sign was refurbished in 2008 and the neon lights were replaced with brighter and more durable LED lights, ensuring that the memory of Sweetheart Corner will continue shining bright.

Do you remember shopping at Sweetheart Market? Did you work there? Share your memories in the comments below.

This feature is a part of CNY Nostalgia, a section on syracuse.com. Send your ideas and curiosities to Jacob Pucci: Email | Twitter | 315-766-6747