City Drug Store

Another popular place about a block down the street from the old Marion Cafe was the City Drug Store.  A very favorite place and meeting spot for young and old alike to enjoy hand dipped ice cream and all kinds of milk shakes, fountain drinks, and many other items, plus get your prescriptions filled by the most popular druggists anywhere around, Mr. G. N. Rankin and Mr. Ted Frazer.

Mr. Rankin and Mr. Frazer purchased the store in 1925 and named it the City Drug Store.  The store stayed in business until May 1992.  During the years many students at the High School found work here after school and on week-ends.  They always worked the soda foundation.  A popular place to go after ballgames as the store always stayed open until 10:00.  Hard to think now that Marion ever had a life after 6:00.  

Cigarettes, cherry and orange cokes and five cent ice cream cones were popular items.  People came from miles around to get a treat at the City Drug Store.  At one time in the 1940's they even had curb service, the street would be backed up and down the street for a couple of blocks.  There was every flavor of ice cream imaginable and fresh peach ice cream in the summer.  

 This is an old vintage photo of the City Drug Store but even up to the day it closed it still looked the same.  The beautiful wooden glass front cabinets along both walls, and the tin decorative ceiling and the beautiful tile floor and oh the marble foundation that you can see on the left in the picture.

After the store closed in 1992 it sat empty until 1997 when Sandra Hawthorne and her son Thom purchased the store.  They have restored it to it's beautiful former days.  At one time they kept it opened and used the foundation as it was in it's earlier days.  But due to the economy now they haven't been able to keep it staffed to keep it open for use.  How I miss this old place.