DRUG STORES OF YESTERYEAR

I mentioned in my last entry about going to Moon's Drugstore for a coke after the movie. What a great hangout that was! In fact, almost all drugstores back then were great places to gather for a snack or even a meal. Each one had a “soda fountain” where we could order all kinds of goodies.

These soda fountains were really just chrome and formica bars with swiveling stools lined up in front. Behind the counters were one or two soda jerks, dishing up ice cream sundaes, milk shakes, brown cows (cokes with vanilla ice cream in it), and of course, the sodas in different flavors. By soda, I don’t mean that “Yankee” (anything outside of the South is judged to be Yankee) term that is used today to describe soft drinks. A soda was made by taking a tall stemmed glass, mixing a flavored syrup with carbonated water, and adding ice cream. A spoon AND a straw were required to consume it. I never cared for them myself, but some people swore by them.

No, my favorite was either a chocolate coke if I were not very hungry or a chocolate nut sundae if I really wanted a treat. This was made with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and nuts, preferably pecans, sprinkled on top. No cherry, please! Many people thought a banana split was a huge treat, but I could never see mixing several fruits, ice cream, and chocolate. Whatever you ordered, it was made while you sat at the counter and watched. With the sundae came a long spoon to get to that delicious syrup that had slipped down to the bottom of the glass.

There were also tables or booths grouped around so that people could gather around and talk while they ate. There was a drugstore across the street from our church, (I think it was called Wilson’s) and every Sunday we would crowd in between Sunday school and church. Many times we were late to church, or if we were really daring, we didn’t go at all. My mother, sitting in her usual spot on the third row left, had an eagle eye, maybe even eyes in the back of her head, so I usually made it to the service.

Many drugstores served hot meals, also. I remember getting really good meat-and-threes at LaVoi’s in the Westgate shopping center as late as the sixties. And in most of them you could order a hamburger, grilled cheese, or other types of sandwiches. The genius was a soda jerk for LaVoi’s in high school for a while, but I’ve never known him to whip up a sandwich or even a milk shake since we’ve been married. I guess he forgot all he knew about cooking the moment he said, “I do.”

Those places were also great gathering spots for retired men. Foxhall’s on Harding Road had gray haired men in the back every time I went in there, especially in the mornings. I could hear them back there discussing the latest sports news and politics. And they may not have even been retired; maybe they were just hanging out before they went to work.

I miss all these old haunts. I suppose the fast food places with the quick service came in and took over. Or maybe the hassle of trying to live up to the standards of the food inspections got to be too much for the owners. Whatever the reason, there’s no comparison to the homey, slightly shoddy appearance of the drugstore dining area to the sterile atmosphere of the fast food restaurants of today. And what I wouldn’t give for one of those chocolate nut sundaes!!