Dundalk drug store brings back soda fountain fun with an adult-level spin
BALTIMORE -- Drug City Pharmacy has been a local landmark on North Point Road for 68 years. And now, it is bringing the past to Dundalk's future.
Marty Bass has been planning to visit local landmarks in the area. But this is a different type of landmark. It is not a sign, nor a statue, but rather a community staple.
Drug City Pharmacy sells every item you might ever need to purchase. It's not quite a grocery store. But also, it's a bit similar to one of those big box store supply houses.
This Dundalk pharmacy has a little bit of everything but it's not a little place. It is perhaps somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 square feet wide.
George Fotis started working at Drug City Pharmacy when he was a kid. He began by sweeping floors, then he learned to be a cashier. Eventually, he was a "jack of all trades."
Fotis went on to get a pharmacy degree and then bought the place.
Only in Baltimore, as we like to say!
Off to one side of the building that houses Drug City Pharmacy, there is a space that had been used as storage. It has even been used as a tanning salon.
Fotis decided to re-envision that space. He remembered how Drug City Pharmacy used to have a soda fountain when he was a kid and decided to re-create that memory.
Now, the store is home to a brand new soda fountain, and every detail about it was designed to look like an old-school soda fountain.
And like any good soda fountain, its staff serves food. During the lunch hour, the place is packed. It holds about 40 people.
Marty was left wishing that his kids were young rather than 27 and 31 because it's a great place to bring young children.
The staff makes real sodas and milkshakes. For those adults who would like a "strong" milkshake to go with their lunch, well, Drug City Pharmacy sells liquor and can make interesting concoctions with its soda fountain.
And the store merchandise is from the 1950s. The unique vibe of the store makes it worth the drive.
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