From Left to Right: Josh Owens, Scott Armentrout, Zan Armentrout, Kim Snider, Michael Dean, and Season Burzek

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 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 covered up and a new entrance was installed on the corner, where it remains today.

After the expansion, the new space filled up with all kinds of everyday items, such as greeting cards! Shirley even made homemade bread, selling it at the store along with baking goods, health foods, whole wheat flour, and more. Her space was called Shirley’s Cupboard.

For 64 years, Radford Drug had been going strong. They had relocated, grown, and weathered all the setbacks and adversities that had come their way. That is, until a setback came that they could do nothing about.

1n 1993, changes to health insurance regulations made it difficult for independent pharmacies to fill prescriptions. Rather than facing having to close the store, Bill made the sad decision to become a franchise member for the Medicine Shoppe chain of pharmacies. Gone were the fresh baked breads. Gone was all the extra merchandise that had made their location such a convenient and valuable resource for many day-to-day items. They weren’t part of the Medicine Shoppe business model.

Also gone was the plastic Radford Drug sign that had hung proudly for decades.

With less space needed, Bill decided to put the wall back up and downsize to the corner storefront only.

In 1997, Bill and Shirley traveled to Fayetteville, North Carolina to visit their son, Scott, and his wife, Alice. During this visit, conversations arose regarding the store. It was time, once again, to pass the torch.

While in North Carolina, Scott Armentrout had been a professional golfer, playing the circuits. He gave up the greens in 1998, however, to move back to Radford. Having received a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Methodist University in Fayetteville, Alice opened “Music Comes to Town Studio” after getting settled. Her business has since been renamed Central Fine Arts Academy, after having moved into Central United Methodist Church at 803 Wadsworth Street.

Meanwhile, Scott started working in the Medicine Shoppe location. Two years later, he became acquainted with Jim Perkinson, a pharmacist who had been working the counters in larger chain pharmacies. They heard Jim was thinking about leaving the chains to open his own pharmacy but brought a better option to the table. After all the details were worked out, Scott and Jim, as partners, bought the store from Bill.

For the next eight years, Scott and Jim ran the Medicine Shoppe location in the corner storefront spot, but in 1986, they decided to expand again. Since putting the wall back up, a photography studio had moved into the old space. Eventually, the building once again became empty and it was time, once again, to tear down that wall! “Thank the Lord,” says Scott, “it was not solid brick this time!”

This time, the renovation took more than six months to complete. During that six months, however, Radford’s only hardware store, Central Lumber, closed. Even before the new space was finished, Scott got the idea to create Radford Hardware. It was a place where folks could pick up nuts, bolts, screws, nails, and other basic hardware items for home repairs. They even added a key machine.

By the time the renovations were complete, however, they decided to merge everything back under the roof of the pharmacy. Running two businesses just wasn’t as efficient as one. After the reopening, they also brought back school and office supplies, as well as a card and gift section with novelties and seasonal items.

It looked like they were getting a little more wiggle room to operate under the Medicine Shoppe umbrella. In 2013, however, they were able to throw that umbrella into the wind and dance in the rain! Just like changes in health insurance regulations forced them into joining a franchise, it was more changes that set them free.

It was a proud day for Bill and Scott Armentrout when they were able to take down the Medicine Shoppe sign and rehang the original Radford Drug sign that had been stored for two decades in the basement. Bill, however, knew right where to find it. “It’s good to have that name back,” he says.

“So, there is a new/old look to Radford Drug,” says Scott, “as progress made way for a return to the past.”

In 2019, Jim Perkinson decided to retire, and Scott bought out his half of Radford Drug. He then hired Joshua Owens as Pharmacist in Charge to run the daily operations of the store. Like Jim before him, Joshua had been working the pharmacy counters in the big chains and was looking for an opportunity in a smaller, more personal drug store.

Along with Joshua, the staff now includes Mike Dean, Emilie Tolliver, Kim Snider, Katherine Young, Zan Armentrout, Caleb Sparks, Season Burzek, and Tasha Spencer.

Radford Drug is a third generation drug store that has been serving the New River Valley for over ninety years, and hopes to continue for a long time to come!

Radford Drug is open Monday through Friday, 9AM – 6PM, and on Saturday from 9AM – 2PM, with delivery available.

Radford Drug • 243 West Main Street, Radford, VA
www.RadfordDrug.com • RadfordDrug@Yahoo.com
540-639-3996 • Fax: 540-731-4852