Reeves Drug Store
Looking north on Main Street
After the massive fire of November 1903 destroyed much of the east side of Main Street, Gideon Thayer constructed a sturdy brick building at 901 Main Street.
By 1905, William and Alexander Gauger ran the Gauger Brothers store on the first floor, along with the Lux sisters, Ada and Minnie, who ran a photography business on the second floor. The Gauger brothers operated their business at this location until they left for California in 1913.
Reeves Drug Store on Main Street
Sidney Reeves moved to Antioch from Chicago in 1919 for a pharmacist position at W.J. Richards Drug Store located at 928 Main Street. By 1921, Mr. Reeves had purchased the business. He moved the renamed Reeves Drug Store to the newly remodeled Thayer Building at 901 Main Street in April, 1926. Mr. Reeves gifted free ice cream cones to 1st through 3rd grader students every Monday afternoon.
In 1941, the pharmacists, George and Helen Cribb Borovicka, purchased the business from 83-year-old Mr. Reeves. George and Helen hired another local female pharmacist, Edna Drom, to help run the store and it soon became affiliated with the Walgreens Agency. After George’s death, Helen and Edna operated the business until the eighties with Helen’s sister, Ruth Cribb Elliott. After the closing of Reeves Drugs in 1983, many other businesses have occupied this structure located in the center of town.
The Interior of Reeves Drug Store
All images courtesy of the Lakes Region Historical Society.