From Left to Right: Josh Owens, Scott Armentrout, Zan Armentrout, Kim Snider, Michael Dean, and Season Burzek
The Saga of Radford Drug In 1929, Mark Kirby established an independent, community pharmacy at 217 West Main Street in Radford. Radford Drug, Inc. was not only a full-service pharmacy, but it also featured a soda fountain and hand packed ice cream. This made it a favorite gathering spot for the youth of those early decades. Providing a necessary service to the people of Radford, as well as giving folks a great place to meet and enjoy themselves, was the perfect combination for a long-lasting, successful enterprise. And so, it was. Despite the Great Depression and the Second World War, Mark Kirby kept the business strong, happily running it until his death in 1962. Mark is still a fondly remembered man to those in Radford who knew him. Current owner, Scott Armentrout, says some of those folks are still customers at Radford Drug, and will sometimes offer kind comments about Mark when they visit. After Mark’s passing, his wife, Ruth Kirby, kept it going until 1966. That’s when the Kirby’s son-in-law, Bill Armentrout, moved back to Radford to help run the business. Bill had been living in Front Royal, Virginia, along with his wife, Shirley, daughter of Mark and Ruth. Shirley had become a biologist, but Bill was, as fate would have it, a pharmacist. The couple moved back to Radford and helped run the business until 1968. That’s when they bought the business outright and continued as its owners. Bill operated Radford Drug at the 217 West Main Street location until 1978. That’s when he moved the store up the street 6
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to 239 West Main Street. There, Radford Drug kept going strong. Though the days of hand-packed ice cream and soda fountains were far in the past, Radford Drug still provided a vital service to the people of Radford. The pharmacy would soon, however, become so much more. Ten years after changing locations, Bill found himself on a romantic errand that would inspire the next milestone for the family pharmacy. One February afternoon, Bill was out searching for a Valentine’s Day card for Shirley. Having no luck in town, Bill ended up across the river and out of Radford before he found that what he was looking for. The decision to expand the location came quickly in 1987. The next storefront down was empty, having housed Umberger’s Grocery for years and then Hines Bakery. Bill thought the timing was perfect for taking over the empty space. Decisions, however, are one thing. Taking action on them is quite another matter. As the work began, they literally hit a brick wall. The wall between these two storefronts was no ordinary wall. It was almost three feet thick of solid brick. Engineers were called in. If they found the wall to be weight-bearing, they would not be able to remove it. Luckily, however, they found a way. For six weeks, Radford Drug was surrounded with the sounds of jackhammers knocking out the interior wall. Merchandise was stacked everywhere, all covered in dust. As part of the renovation, the original store entrance was
Spring/Summer 2022
