A quick dip into the inbox today, to talk about a store of the past we’ve only mentioned in passing before.
This letter comes from Shirley Pilkerton of the Manchester area. She writes, “Unless I missed it, I saw no mention of one great place that was on the corner of Contenental Square. It is Peoples Drug Store. There was also one at the corner of Beaver St and W Market St across from Jacks Department Store. I worked at the one on the square in 1954 and 1955 while I was going to William Penn Senior High. The manager was Mr Moore and he was also the pharmacist. There was a soda fountain/snack bar where I was employed. There were great soup and sandwiches as well as the best sundaes and root beer floats that you could find. Coffee was 10 cents a cup. I earned 67 cents an hour as part time help!!! It was a great part of my early youth.”
June Lloyd had talked on her Universal York blog about this store last year. (The photo above is from her post!)
My name is Joan and I'm a lifelong Yorker. Throughout high school and college, I swore I was getting out of here as soon as possible. Now, a few years later, I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be. I love my town. And, as a local editor, I hear every day how much you love your towns, too. So please, connect with me and let's share what makes life in York County great. I'm here to help you enjoy this place as much as I do!
This picture sure does bring back great memories!!! Going in there sitting at the soda fountain and getting drinks!!!
People’s Drug!! I worked for People’s for 12 years, starting in 1976 (down here in Virginia, alas, not in York). Minimum wage in ’76 was $2.30 an hour. Hershey bars were, I think, 15 cents. You could buy a six pack of the big bottles of Coke on sale for 99 cents. And during Back To School season, metal lunchboxes with Thermoses were around $2 or $3. Why didn’t I buy one of each back then? They’d be worth a small fortune now! LOL! And the soda fountain…best cheeseburgers and milkshakes in town. Good, good memories!