If you live or work Downtown, you might have noticed the Hamlin Drug Store Segway buzzing by on its way to deliver medicine to a nearby resident. Hamlin Drug Store at 126 East Hargett Street (map) has never been one to follow the trend. This is something that has long delivered not just pride, but success to the Dr. John Johnson family, whose generations continue to work together to meet the needs of their customers.
Dr. John JohnsonLast week as Brian Reece and I collected stories to capture the history of this Downtown landmark, Dr. Johnson’s daughter Mischelle, announced proudly that her father had never sold tobacco products. Her father smiled at that. His daughter’s memory didn’t go back far enough to cover the full 53 years that he’d been in business.
At one time he had sold tobacco, he told us. But one day over 45 years ago, when one of his customers was buying medicine for her lung cancer, he noticed she was also purchasing two cartons of cigarettes. That day he decided to draw the line, seeing as he described it, “the incongruence of being in the healthcare business.” Dr. Johnson declares that he “will never put profit before one’s healthcare.”
It’s clear he cares deeply about his customers, sometimes 3-4 generations, who are deeply loyal and appreciate the personal service that a family owned drug store can provide. Dr. Johnson says he is proud to be an independent pharmacist, not driven by a model, but part of a culture of being a healthcare delivery service.
As his other daughter Kimberley explains, “We are aware of our community. We have an ear on the ground and are always looking to strengthen our community.” And Hamlin Drug Store has been part of the Downtown community for 106 years, the oldest drug store in Raleigh, and the oldest African-American owned pharmacy in North Carolina.
People’s Drug Store, 1907It all started in 1904, when James Edward Hamlin opened People’s Drug Store, which became Hamlin Drug company in 1907. John Mitchell Johnson and his partner, Clarence Coolidge, purchased the store from the remaining Hamlin heirs in 1957 from the granddaughter of the original owner. Dr. Johnson became the sole owner when his partner died 21 years ago.
Hamlin Drug store moved to its current location (126 East Hargett Street), in the heart of the Black commerce district in 1964, and endured the mass exodus of Downtown businesses, what Dr. Johnson calls the “tumult of the mid 60s”, as new malls were built in the suburbs. But Dr. Johnson, a self-described “congenial urban dweller” decided to stay Downtown, confident that “the urban dweller would resurface”.
It was a long wait, but today, the 81 year old Dr. Johnson says he is happy to see the arrival of new residents, adding to what he says is a good mix of people. He believes people are more confident now that Downtown is seen as safe, though he retorts that crime problems were always a perception, and that people needed to “disabuse themselves of this misunderstanding!”
Dr. Johnson remarks that initial actions to revitalize the city were disjointed, consisting of fits and starts without any solid direction that he could identify. But now the city is on the right track, and he is particularly pleased with the attention being given to redesigning Moore Square.
Hamlin Drug Store is also bringing in new changes to their business, adding new product selections, including organic and all natural Health and Beauty products, offering adult vaccinations, and ushering in their new state-of-the-art Pharmacy Robot (robotic dispensing system).
Jamie, Kimberley, Dr. Johnson, Mischelle, NicholeBe sure the next time you need a pharmacist, or maybe just like being called by name, walk on over and say hello to Dr. Johnson, daughters Mischelle and Kimberley, and their new pharmacist, Jamie. They’re open Monday-Friday: 9:00am – 5:00pm, and Saturday: 10:00am – 2:00pm.
Thank you DLA for sharing with us more about Hamlin Drug. I noticed the signage while walking but really never ventured in to check them out. I will definitely inquire now that I know more about them and that they have such a long history in Downtown Raleigh. The best part: We are neighbors now and they deliver for FREE!!!!
I'm a fairly new Hamlin customer. Whenever I'm there the staff is always friendly and welcoming. Recently, I needed an emergency prescription filled, they stayed a little later to fill it for me and even delivered it because I didn't have time to get over an pick it up. You can't compete with service like that.
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