Our Small Town Drugstore and The Good Old Days
Small Town Drug Store
Our little community is so small that we know a large number of the residents. Because I was a teacher a lot of the time I know their parents and grandparents, too.
Today I went to the drugstore on the square. It was almost closing time and the store was nearly empty. The only people there were the pharmacist and the young, sweet check out girl. It was eerily quiet.
Maybe because it was because of the stillness, or maybe because I had run to town during half time of the UK and Florida basketball game, but as I stood there in the nearly empty store my mind went back in time.
Happy Days Drugstore
To my right was the soda counter. It had red vinyl stools with no backs on top of silver cylinders. I could get a cherry coke and a bag of chips for under a quarter. Once I ate a tuna sandwich there and contracted a stomach virus soon thereafter. It was a long, long time before I could eat tuna again.
In the back were a couple of booths were some of my relatives would meet on Saturdays to catch up with the local gossip. I’m sure those booths stayed busy and lots of stories (true, partially true, and not sure if true) were shared.
Lonas Fleener owned the store and was the pharmacist. He loved UK basketball and there was a television in the back. If UK was playing….he was watching. I think I remember him wearing UK blue on game days. He was a super nice older gentleman (I was probably 12 so everyone was older) and I remember one day I told him his tie was cute. My aunt about died of embarrassment because I told him his tie was “cute.” Not sure why that was embarrassing, but it was to her.
All those things added to the ambiance of a quaint local hangout, but what it even better were the ladies who worked there. If there was an ad in the local paper for a job there it must have read, “Looking for the kindest silver haired ladies in the county to pour cokes, assist shoppers and help the pharmacist…especially on UK game days.”
I loved going in there and talking to them. They knew everything about everyone in town and at least a 15 mile radius surrounding the square. When I was old enough I applied for a job there and then when my daughter was old enough, it was her first job. I also have a daughter-in-love who worked there.
Today I stood in the store envisioning the way it was back in the day and I could almost see Miss Ruby and Miss Doris and Miss Helen. Lonas was watching the UK game in the corner and my aunts and cousins were drinking cherry cokes and eating chips. Most of my cousins were boys so I’m sure someone spilled something and spit chips while they were talking.
I try not to be nostalgic all the time because it tends to make my eyes leak.
But man, those were Happy Days.
