We have a new "old-fashioned" drug store in town. A step inside will take you back a few years in your memory to the days when fountain drinks, sodas, and milk shakes were all made by hand by the "soda jerk." This drug store opened a few months ago in east Bradenton. It is housed in a grand old brick building that used to be a department store. Western wear was available there. When Don and I got married, I bought him a pair of cowboy boots from there.
On my way to meet a friend for a movie one day, I decided to visit and see just what was there. I sat right down at the counter and enjoyed visiting with the "jerk," a likable gentleman from England who has settled here and is working there. The menu has all sorts of ice cream pleasures and all kinds of fountain drinks. On their menu, they have a few sandwiches, but the emphasis is on the fountain part. I had a chicken salad sandwich, a bag of chips, and any drink in the drug store for 6.95...not bad. I chose a chocolate shake. Yum!
While sitting on the stool at the counter, I enjoyed admiring the antiques and remembrances from days gone by. The cabinets in the drug store are beautiful. At the top of the one above is a Stetson hat box. That reminded me of my daddy who loved to wear hats in the day, and he bought them in Tampa at the Stetson hatters.
This old cash register sits at the end of the counter, again reminiscent of former days. In a newspaper article about the department store, you can see the photo of it with the gentlemen who owned the store.
While not functional now, it adds to the atmosphere.
While I was sitting there, the "jerk" was busy making the syrups for the different drinks that they make. Even the whipped cream is made the old fashioned way. The cream goes into a canister, then a "bomb" is attached that aerates the cream.
The counter is made of onyx. It had originally been in a store here in Bradenton, and the owner obtained it and installed it here.
My mother worked in a drug store all the years that I was in school. She wasn't a soda jerk, rather put out a hot plate special every day. In the day, you could get a hot plate, a meat, two vegetables, and rolls for 55 cents. As I grew up, I ended up working in the drug store too. I must say that it was not my favorite job. One thing that was hard was the fact that the ice cream scoops were made for right-handed people, and being left-handed, it was very awkward to scoop hard ice cream.
I have many fond memories of the drug store where my mother worked. It was on the ground floor of the professional building in Bradenton. Lawyers and doctors had their offices in that building, and many of them ate there. From the time I was in second grade or so, I had to go with my mother to work in the mornings, eat my breakfast there, and then walk to school. I lived just inside the city limits and was not eligible to ride the bus. So, in my elementary school years, my mornings were spent there until it was time to get to school. I got to know some really neat people during those growing up years. This drug store in east Bradenton is a lovely reminder. I hope it stays around for a long time.
