SWEET NOSTALGIA

The drug store soda fountain

Ahhh, The drug store soda fountain in Small Town, America.

A hub for hungry patrons, the drug store soda fountain offered a pleasant diversion from the office, the house, or the hurry and scurry of running errands… and, perhaps, even inspiration for a writer’s heart.

Let’s sneak a peek at an early 20^th century drug store soda fountain.

A grandmother delights in her grandchildren’s expressions of surprise—soda bubbles tingling their tongues. The writer might ask if this is a weekly outing or spurred by something unexpected at home.

What’s really on the minds of dark-suited businessmen devouring club sandwiches? A fight with the boss? The wife?

A young woman, tuna sandwich untouched, reads a magazine, although a closer look at her eyes reveals she’s more interested in the soda jerk.   

Speaking of the soda jerk, he does look a bit like a shining knight. Clothed head to toe in white, he flashes big smiles. He pours flavored drinks, builds sandwiches and monitors sizzling fries, the aroma of which waft throughout the store, inviting more customers.

Many writers might find themselves creating fictional stories around these folks. Perhaps the drug store soda fountain itself draws attention. Not too hard to showcase it if the imagined story surrounds the soda jerk. Or the soda fountain could simply be the setting for one or two scenes where key personalities converge now and then. 

No matter how a writer might choose to include the drug store soda fountain in a story, it is important to ask the question:

What is the history of drug store soda fountains in America?

Early Years

The concept of serving flavored beverages in a drug store goes back to the mid-1800s. At that time, pharmacists administered medicines (codeine, caffeine, plant derivatives and bromides) “over the counter” by adding it to a beverage. The upside? The flavored drink made the drug palatable. The downside? Some of these palliatives were habit forming, such that an unfavorable reputation developed. Eventually The Harrison Act of 1914 passed, making it illegal to dispense such drugs over the counter.

By the early 1900s, Dr. Jacob Bauer fabricated soda fountains. The contraption was marketed to soda jerk entrepreneurs and included recipes for beverages. To counteract the prevailing bad reputation, the drinks were promoted as not habit-forming, nor leading to intoxication.

The “golden age”

Drug store soda fountains spanned fifty years (1900s into the 1970s). As with most things in life, technology, fashion, and societal norms changed the atmosphere one might experience in the 1920s when compared with the 1950s or 1970s.

For example, in 1911, early fountains were constructed of oak and stained glass, and included zinc-lined ice boxes. By 1928, more ornate fountains were manufactured. 

When prohibition closed the bars in 1919, the popularity of the drug store soda fountain grew as folks drifted to them for their social needs. By the 1920s most towns boasted one.

The lunch counter at the drug store soda fountain also morphed over the years. As early as the 1910s, sandwiches became available, and by the 1920s, hot food and salads arrived. By 1938, toasted tuna and club sandwiches, meatloaf, fries and doughnuts might be available. A 1948 menu offered full dinners (pork, fish, steak or chicken stew), including dessert. Franks and beans were the special.

Downfall

By the 1970s the popularity of drug store soda fountains declined. Full-service drug stores appeared, adversely affecting the independent pharmacist. People moved to the suburbs at the expense of the business districts in the city. Ice cream and sodas became readily available at the grocers. Drive-in fast-food chains offered quick eating alternatives. 

Nevertheless, a few of these iconic businesses have survived. Scattered across the states, an adventurous writer might still sneak an in-person peek, taste the fries, and inhale the sweet nostalgia of the drug store soda fountain.

Jeannine Brummett lives in South Carolina with her husband of nineteen years, Don, who shares his three adult sons and three grandchildren with her. Reading is big on her list of things to do, but she also thrives on TV crime dramas, NBA basketball, and marvels at the critters and fowl life that live at the pond behind their house. She loves to sing praise songs, attend Bible Study, and help at a local food pantry.