Hall's Drug Store
Hall's Drug Store was once a focal point of Oxford. Its Main Street location was a favorite shopping spot, and a place to gather for a cold fountain drink and to catch up on the latest town news. John Perry Hall, whose father John G. Hall started Hall's Drug Store in 1879, wrote the following about growing up and working in the drug store:
Father said before there was an ice plant in Oxford, he would take some men to Ridley's pond on the old Henderson Road and cut ice off the pond and pack it in sawdust in the basement of Hall's and use it during the year for making ice cream. In the early days, Hall's had two soda fountains, one on one side for whites and the other for blacks. One of the most exciting times of the year for me as a child of eight to ten came at Christmas. Then Sam and I sold fireworks at Hall's. There were no restrictions on the sale or firing of these firecrackers, roman candles, baby wakers, torpedoes, etc. A certain section of the store was marked off and no smoking was allowed there. A big bonfire was built in the middle of the street. Every now and then a "big spender" would come in and buy a 12-inch baby waker, which cost all of a dollar, and throw this in the street fire. When this went off sparks were thrown high in the air. Several of us boys looked forward to going with Mr. Arch Taylor and his boys early every Christmas morning all over town shooting fireworks. We would set our clocks for 3:00 am and stay until breakfast time. I can remember how Hall's used to look around Christmastime in those days, with horns and drums and toys strung overhead across the store and lots of fruit, nuts and candy displayed.
Another really big day in Oxford in those years was St. John's Day, the 24th of June, commemorating the St. John's School, which later became the Oxford Masonic Orphanage. The railroads ran excursions into Oxford. The Seaboard Station was behind Hall's Drugstore on the corner of Gilliam and Littlejohn Street. These crowds came by Hall's and Sam and I had a lemonade and ice cream stand on the Main Street in front of the store. All along College Street heading to the orphanage there were similar lemonade stands. In those days Hall's was a gathering place for men after supper to tell tales, smoke, chew and whittle around the big, warm pot-bellied stove we had in the center of the store to heat the building. There were no Vs or radios, but we were open until 10 o'clock. So after supper men would come in and take the chairs placed around the store. Before long some man would say, "a dollar is a man's friend," and that would start an argument. Men I can remember being present a lot of nights were Dr. E. T. White, J. K. Blackwell, Charlie Garman, Dr. Cannady (my uncle), Col. Rome Horner, Zeb Patterson, Dr. Sam Watkins, Dr. Nat Daniel, Dr. Thomas and lots of others. Father's desk was nearby, as was Uncle Gus's and from time to time they would get up and put in their two cents worth. During those years there were several rooms over the store, occupied by doctors' offices, study rooms, Upham's Electuary and rooms for men who came from the country and worked in Hall's to stay. Along 1932 and 1933 came the Depression. Business came to a standstill. There was very little money. Hall's took in around $40.00 a day. On Saturday, the big day of the week, if we got up to 200.00 we had a big day. Prescriptions were generally fifty cents to 1.00 each. We sold peanuts for ten cents a pound. Our salaries were low--generally $40.00 per month. My pharmacist salary was reduced to 75.00 per month. We lived off our "fat". We, as other merchants, extended credit to our good customers. No one had much cash. We were all in the same boat. I think it was during this time that "Hoover Carts" were popular. These "carts (so called) named after President Hoover, who was blamed for the Depression, had an auto axle and two wheels and tires with a makeshift seat on top, pulled by a mule or horse. People had no money to buy gas for a car. Before 1934 Hall's had practically all male clerks. Miss Virginia Carr kept books at the store and was one of the first ladies we had employed. At nights she played piano at Orpheum Theatre. Then came Miss Addie Breelove, and then, when she married Earl Hunt, she left Hall's and Miss Norma Breedlove came to work at Hall's. I cannot find the words to tell how much she has meant to Hall's Drugstore. Every inch a lady, and a super salesperson. Miss Norma was the only lady in the drugstore for a long time. Many ladies have helped since, however, including Margaret Saunders, Lois Vaughan, Mary Smith, Rachel Brummitt, Gertrude Daniel, Jennie Wilson, Gladys Montague, Brenda Parham, Hattie Smith and Ann Brooks. |
Above information taken from Lewis Bowling's book "Granville County, North Carolina: Looking Back
**Note: Hall's Drugstore remained opened in the same location for over 100 years.
**Note: Hall's Drugstore remained opened in the same location for over 100 years.