St. Paul Corner Drug closing historic soda fountain

St Paul Corner Drug will be hosting a retirement party for its old-fashioned soda fountain from a m to p m Saturday The fountain s final ice cream scoops will be served at the event Owner John Hoeschen announced the fountain is closing due to financial pressure in the pharmacy industry and a lack of physical space in the building at the corner of Snelling and St Clair avenues The fountain has been out of provision since October when the independent pharmacy needed room to provide vaccinations during the COVID- pandemic After removing the fountain the drug store will rearrange to maximize its -square-foot space for vaccination services It the fountain wasn t a profit center it was more of a group builder Hoeschen stated We had to ask If we reopen the fountain can we generate enough revenue to justify its space being there And the math just didn t add up Hoeschen stated the soda fountain s closure represents the tough decisions society pharmacies must make to stay in business amid rising costs and low reimbursement rates According to the Minnesota Pharmacists Association of independently owned and of chain pharmacies have closed since In St Paul the West Seventh Pharmacy will be closing June as the owners retire without finding a buyer for their business At the farewell party society members will share memories and stories of the soda fountain which has been a neighborhood gathering place since the pharmacy opened in Hoeschen disclosed his neighbors met at the fountain got married and raised their children two blocks away from the pharmacy It s touched million of lives It was a great thing I loved it Hoeschen reported But unfortunately the times are changing and we have to retool and focus on trying to keep this pharmacy open Related Articles Officers in Minneapolis raid wore distinct patches One was authorized another wasn t feds say Longtime Grand Avenue fabric shop Treadle Yard Goods has closed amid owner s cancer battle We feel relief Derrick Thompson discovered guilty in Minneapolis crash that killed five young women Minneapolis man sentenced for stabbing hanging St Paul woman s dog after argument Snelling and St Clair intersection fully reopens after construction