By Gale Stoddard
Fifty years ago, on the corner of Knott and Lincoln Avenues, a small nondescript shopping mini mall was constructed. On the site was the original Thrifty Drugstore where local residents rushed to get their prescription and other needs in the convenience store. Then in the late 1970s, Thrifty became Rite Aid, but droves of people still frequented the city fixture. Then in the early 1990s, other drugstores such as Walgreens and CVS came into the picture and some local residents went to the places closer to their homes.
However, there were still some devoted patrons of Rite Aid who frequented the store, mainly for their prescription needs. Undeniably, they had a very efficient and friendly pharmaceutical staff who would go out of their way to help customers. My mother, Connie Benemerito, loved Rite Aid and would not dream of transferring her prescriptions to a place closer to home and Rite Aid employees loved her spunk when she picked up her own prescription even at the age of 100; she passed away at 104.
I still remember the lines at the ice cream counter in Rite Aid when people would drive for miles to purchase an ice cream cone of pistachio or their famous pineapple coconut. My mom and I would wait in line as we watched the ice cream cones being served. Her favorite was rocky road. Those were happy times and the memories are seared deep in my mind. People loved the 50-percent off sales Rite Aid would have. Over the past 50 years I have purchased all of my vitamins, makeup, greeting cards and cough drops at Rite Aid and I did not find out they were closing until I went in at the beginning of April to find their freezer empty.
Did someone buy all my favorite Rite Aid ice cream, I wondered? I could not find my vanilla bean, a favorite of the Stoddard family down to the grandchildren. So I went to complain and ask what happened to my favorite flavors; it was like a ton of bricks fell on me when Justo, an employee at the cash register, informed me that within a few days, the store would be permanently closed.
It was like a stab in my heart. Memories of my mom standing in line waiting for her favorite ice cream cone. I could see her at the prescription counter kibitzing with Henry and the other pharmacists because she was a pharmacist herself in the Philippines where she owned her own drugstore for 60 years. I could see my late husband Bill waiting in line at the cash register with stacks of goodies I asked him to pick up on his way home from work. I saw my grown children, then pre-teens, running all over the store looking for things they could put in the grocery cart. I could see myself as a young mother, rushing to the store before they close at 10 p.m. to get some much-needed makeup for work.
Rite Aid (Thrifty at the time) in the 1950s was a gathering landmark in the Americana landscape for most Americans. It was a family destination when you needed an item right away. I knew some neighbors who went there in their pajamas to purchase a much-needed item. They sold almost everything that was needed in the household.
I bought a lot of multi-colored pots for plants that still grace my backyard. They were always having 50-percent off on garden supplies and that was my cue to stock up on their beautiful pottery for my thriving backyard plants.
My neighbors and I who frequented this particular Rite Aid location muttered just the other day, “Those were the days, my friend. We thought they’d never end,” which are the words of a familiar song from the 1970s. This Rite Aid may be closed but I was informed that there are still two others I can go to; one is on Chapman Avenue and the other on Ball Road. These stores are much larger and newer and of course carry more up-to-date needs of high-tech items and GNC vitamins for the millennials.
Senior citizens revere the old places because memories were made there. Fifty years ago, people were more friendly and congenial, taking the time to talk to each other face-to-face. No cell phones to occupy the attention, with just a grunt when spoken to. There was no hustle and bustle to rush to somewhere or nowhere. Those days, folks were caring, sharing their warmth and smiles.
Today, there are no more lines to the ice cream counter. Gone are the eyes of kids pointing to the colorful ice cream in the counter displayed in colorful splendor. In the old days, the price of an ice cream cone was barely a quarter. Before they closed, the price went up to $1.25. People still flocked to the counter waiting patiently for their turn to order.
Customers claim it was still a great deal because the high-filled cones are still utterly delicious. As residents sigh and bid adieus to an iconic landmark, deep in our hearts, the nostalgia takes over and we feel a sense of loss.
But we know that among our souvenirs are happy times spent in a corner drugstore and those memories will never fade away. Still, there is an underlying sadness of another chapter ending in our lives. But we are thankful we lived during those times when life was simple and people loved one another as they met in their sojourn in a place called Thrifty/Rite Aid.
