As a young boy, this editor remembers visiting pharmacies—sometimes referred to as apothecaries—that not only carried medicines, but often had soda fountains that could prepare your favorite soda, be it cherry red or “Green River,” or mix you a giant malted. Many were “mom and pop”-type stores, run by owners who took extraordinary pride in their ultra-shiny, stainless-steel countertops and knew just what every local customer needed, sometimes compounding the ingredients while the customer waited.
The local Walgreens offered a “drug store,” clearly separated from a restaurant that had both countertop space with individual stools and a modest number of tables, all of which were magically equipped with miniature jukeboxes. But we digress. …
