Legendary California pharmacy Central Drug Store will be closing its doors for the last time on Tuesday after 117 years.
Owner and operator Jerry Tonelli announced the San Francisco store would be shuttering following his retirement.
The store has outlasted pharmacy empires like Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid, along with various mail order services.
Though the closure came unexpectedly for some patrons, Jerry clarified that the decision was his and that he chose to close the store according to his own plans.
‘It is time for all of us to start a new phase in our lives and spend more time with our families,’ he wrote in a Facebook post.
The longtime store has been in the same building since 1918 and was purchased by the Tonelli family in 1965.
Since inheriting the store in 1978 after his father’s passing, Jerry has managed it with the help of family, including his brother Paul, who co-owns part of the business.
With other relatives uninterested in taking over the business, Jerry began measures to close up, including thanking loyal customers and patients.
Owner and operator Jerry Tonelli plans to retire after the pharmacy is shuttered
Central Drug Store will be closing its doors on Tuesday after 117 years of business
The Tonelli family’s pharmaceutical run began when Dino Tonelli, Jerry’s father, began working at the store in 1949.
The former employee hailed from pharmacy school at UCSF and served in World War II before ultimately taking charge of the store, having already met his wife during that time.
‘My mother started working here when she was 16, and she died in 2023 at the age of 96,’ Jerry told CBS News.
‘So, she had quite a run here, and this was her favorite part of the store because she used to do all the buying for the cosmetics, for the perfumes.’
His parents teamed up in keeping the business strong before Dino’s death, leaving Jerry to learn by ‘trial and error’ in his thirties.
The soon-to-be-retiree managed to keep the business going and made new friends along the way that were grateful for his help.
‘We get a lot of people from other countries that don’t have health insurance and don’t want to see a doctor,’ he revealed.
‘They’ll come in and ask this and ask that and try to treat them with over-the-counter medication to help them out.’
Jerry’s mother would do all the buying for the cosmetics and perfumes while working at the store
Several customers have shared memories and in store experiences on social media
Many customers have shared memories and stories of how Central Drug Store has helped them in some way while growing up.
‘As a young girl in the 50s my mom, Tosca Chiantelli and I came in your store every Saturday and looked at everything in the displays and picked up prescriptions and necessities,’ a Facebook user wrote.
The customer continued by saying she visited the pharmacy regularly in the 70s and 80s, and how happy she was about the pharmacy continuing to help her parents for decades.
‘I used to love going into the drugstore with my mom as a little girl. Silvana was always my favorite at the make up counter,’ another social media user commented.
Longtime customer Fran Colombo has been going to the store for the last 50 years explained the family would make everyone feel special as soon as they walk in the door.
She was also touched by Jerry escorting her husband to his car, saying his action went ‘above and beyond.’
Now that the store is shuttering, Colombo is trying to figure out what to do next, and is questioning what other customers will do.
‘I’m kind of computer savvy, but what about the people who aren’t, who are just used to the walking in and calling in a prescription and walking in and picking it up? What are they going to do?,’ she asked.
Jerry was concerned the pharmacy would shut down because of pharmaceutical empires
Jerry admitted that one of his biggest concerns was independent pharmacies being forced out by various pharmaceutical empires.
However, some of those companies have been struggling in recent years.
Rite Aid, a once-popular chain with over 5,000 stores, filed for bankruptcy in 2023 and again in May this year. It is now planning to shutter all its stores.
The status of CVS has also been concerning since the chain planned to close 900 stores by the end of 2024.
Currently operating over 9,000 US locations, CVS is also set to shutter hundreds of stores this year.
If that wasn’t enough, Walgreens has been in the process of shuttering 1,200 stores, including 450 this year.
While the pharmaceutical crisis continues to be on the rise, Jerry will be busy golfing, spending time with family, and continuing to help people by volunteering at hospitals or shelters.
