Drug Fair

Company Names, addresses, dates: 1
  Drug Fair, 4821 Columbia Pike (Barcroft), Arlington VA
  Drug Fair, 256 N. Glebe Road (Buckingham), Arlington VA
  Drug Fair, 3815 Lee Highway (Cherrydale), Arlington VA
  Drug Fair, 3181 Wilson Blvd (Clarendon), Arlington VA
  Drug Fair, 2207 Pershing Drive (Lee Gardens), Arlington VA
  Drug Fair, 2780 S. Quincy Street (Shirlington), Arlington VA
  Drug Fair, 5841 N. Washington Blvd (Westover), Arlington VA
  Drug Fair, Lee-Harrison Shopping Center (Yorktown), Arlington VA

Notes:
 In 1938 Robert Rueben Gerber (1908-1961)2 teamed up with Milton Leonard Elsberg (1912-200)3 to form the Community Drug Company. The first store was in Buckingham, on the corner of Glebe Road and Pershing Drive. It moved twice, always to a different corner of that intersection, and ended up at 256 N Glebe Road. 4

The Community Drug Company expanded to include additional stores, and in 1951 it got renamed to Drug Fair5.

The Cherrydale Drug Fair was the site of a protest against discrimination in 1960. For information, see: this web site.

In 1987, the Drug Fair chain was purchased by Rite Aid6.


Bottles:

drugfair_02 This is an amber 3" screw-top bottle with a label that says:
label: PAREGORIC, U.S.P. / ... / PRESCRIPTION / DRUG FAIR / DRUG STORES / IN LEE GARDENS / 2207 N. PERSHING DRIVE, ARLINGTON, VA.
drugfair_06 This is a clear 3.25" screw-top bottle with a label that says:
label: ESSENCE OF PEPPERMENT / Alcohol 79 to 85% / ... / PRESCRIPTION / DRUG FAIR / DRUG STORES / IN SHIRLINGTON / 2780 S. QUINCY ST, ARLINGTON, VA.
drugfair_01 This is a clear 5" screw-top bottle with a label that says:
label: TINCT. GREEN SOAP / ... / PRESCRIPTION / DRUG FAIR / DRUG STORES / ARLINGTON, VA.
embossed on base: Brockway / 24
drugfair_03 This is an amber 4.25" screw-top bottle with a label that says:
label: OIL OF WINTERGREEN / ... / PRESCRIPTION / DRUG FAIR / DRUG STORES / ARLINGTON, VA.
embossed on base: GXTA-40Z / ...



Other Items:
drugfair_05 This is a white matchbook cover with green & black printing. It says:
front side Don't Say Drug Store, Say... / drug fair / There's a big difference / drug fair / . SAVINGS / . SELECTION / . SERVICE
back side 3 Drug Fairs ... / VIRGINIA / N. Glebe Rd & Pershing Dr / Arlington / ...
drugfair_04 This matchbook cover is similar to the one above, but it says there are 8 Drug Fairs instead of 3. It says:
front side Don't Say Drug Store, Say... / drug fair / There's a big difference
back side 8 Drug Fairs ... / VIRGINIA / Buckingham . Shirley Duke . / Fairfax Circle / ...


1 Addresses came from multiple sources including artifacts depicted above, artifacts on ebay, and newspaper ads - the list is probably not complete
2 Find-a-grave entry for Robert Rueben Gerber
3 Find-a-grave entry for Milton Leonard Elsberg
4 book: "A Century of Virginia Pharmacy", by the Virginia Pharmaceutical Association (c) 1981, page 155
5 The Washington Post, 20-Jun-1951, page B4 (ad for drug fair indicating recent name change)
6 The Washington Post, 02-May-1987, page A1 (Article: "Rite Aid To Acquire Drug Fair")


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This page last updated on February 9, 2023.