ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 26, 1997 TAG: 9701270004
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Guest Column
SOURCE: ROBERT M. PRICE
I enjoyed the article by Margaret Brown on Blacksburg's Corner Drugstore ["End of an Era," Jan. 4 Current] as well as the reminiscence by Teresa McCoy. Their remarks brought back memories of what the Corner Drugstore meant to all of us .
I first worked there in 1940 and then again in 1941 when I was a high school student; in between those times I worked at Tech Drug. At that time, the Corner Drugstore was owned by Dr. Klor, who lived in Pulaski, and was named Klor's Drugstore. Nonetheless, everyone referred to it as the Corner Drugstore and continued to do so when Dr. St. Clair and his son, Jimmy, purchased the business about 1940. I remember working there Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, when the news came over the radio that Pearl Harbor had been bombed. Most of us did not know where or what Pearl Harbor was.
My salary at the Corner Drugstore was $12 a week; 12 cents was withheld for Social Security payments. This may seem like a small sum, but times were less expensive then. All sandwiches we sold were either 10 or 15 cents. Milkshakes and ice cream sodas both were 10 cents. Cigarettes in those days cost 15 cents a pack or $1.50 a carton; one popular brand, Wings, was only 10 cents a pack. I also remember the price of bus tickets sold at the drugstore: a ticket to Roanoke cost 90 cents.
Along with Virginia Hummel, I, too, can remember when the Corner Drugstore was owned by Mr. Plank and Mr. Whitsett in the 1930s. In those post-Prohibition days, our state did not have ABC stores, and a person could buy beer and whiskey at the Corner Drugstore. Beer was sold across the counter at the soda fountain. However, if a customer wished to purchase whiskey, he had to get a prescription from a local doctor who would charge him 50 cents for his services. Whiskey was sold by the pint (although two pints could be purchased on one prescription) under colorful labels like "Madeline Moore" or "Singing Sam." The directions on the prescription would state: "To be taken as needed."
I also remember, when I worked there in 1940 and 1941, selling ammonia cokes at the soda fountain for 5 cents. This was a handmixed Coca-Cola with several drops of medicinal ammonia added to the mixture of cola syrup and carbonated water. This concoction was supposed to help a headache or any other ailment a person had. If a customer wanted a real "high" and had 10 cents, he could request a Bromo Seltzer mixed with carbonated water. (Later, Bromo Seltzer was taken off the market, but I can't remember what year.)
Like others in Blacksburg, I regret the demise of the Corner Drugstore. It was a well-loved downtown landmark and full of personal memories for me. I will indeed miss it.
Robert M. Price is a longtime Blacksburg resident. He taught at Blacksburg High School for 32 years before retiring in 1990.
LENGTH: Medium: 56 linesby CNB