Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Malone's Goes Backwards Into Future At Drug Store

Sometimes, progress means having to take a step backwards.

Such is the case with Malone's Drug Store in Arkadelphia. Owner Percy Malone stepped back in time after his Allcare Pharmacy was destroyed by the March 1, 1997, tornadoes.

He returned to the golden age of drug stores, complete with an apothecary and soda fountain.

Stepping into the drug store is much like traveling back in time to the turn of the century.

One of the first things noticeable upon entering is the height of the ceilings along with the spaciousness of the interior. There's room to move around without bumping into any display.

The druggist is housed behind an enclosure of imported black walnut, while the floor tiles were brought in from New Jersey.

There are displays of knickknacks and what-knots, as well as picture frames and gift items for customers to peruse while waiting for their prescription, photos (there's also a one-hour photo lab in-house) or lunch.

"After the tornado," Malone said, "with all the meetings we discussed what we liked about Arkadelphia and Clark County."

What came out was the heritage of the area, the old style buildings and sense of community and pride.

"We wanted to build back what we had," he said. "Over time, we decided to go back with the late 1800's or early 1900's motif, what drug stores used to be in the old days."

In those days, he said, the drug stores were named for their owners. In keeping with this motif, he named his new venture Malone's Drug Store instead of staying with his Allcare line.

"I'm proud of what we were able to put back in Arkadelphia," he said.

Malone's opened Monday, July 12, to a packed house. No advertising was done to announce the opening, as he wanted his soda jerks to have time to learn their new trade.

However, there has been a steady stream of customers since the doors opened, keeping the soda jerks busy making the ice cream treats featured on the menu.

There's no skimping on either portion or thickness of these treats. The milkshakes are thick and rich, more in line with malted milks than milkshakes.

All dishes are served in glass containers, just like the old days, and people are actually encouraged to hang around and talk.

The business flow hasn't been just from downtown either. Tourists have pulled off Interstate 30 just to come in and see the new drug store.

Malone said he wanted this to be a place where local residents could come and relive old memories, make new ones and visit one another. "It's what we wanted," he said,"a friendly, warm, inviting atmosphere."

Malone is no stranger to working behind a soda fountain counter. In fact, he began his career as a soda jerk in the sixth grade and apparently hasn't forgotten a thing about making the ice cream treats.

Still, the drug store is a traditional pharmacy where medicines can be purchased, and people can buy health and beauty aids.

But there's much more to Malone's than a soda fountain, drug store and photo shop. Customers can also create their own blends of coffee with the on-site coffee grinder and several types of bean to choose from.

The most important thing to Malone, though, is for people to come in and have a good time.

"We want to give this generation a look at the old ways," he said. "We worked hard to find the components to put the store together and it's taken a long time.

"We wanted it to be a gathering place where there's something for everyone."

In the middle of the interview, Malone stopped, went behind the counter and presented a toddler with a chocolate ice cream cone, after first getting mom's permission. He also brought a damp cloth back for mom to keep child clean.

Malone repeatedly went behind the counter to make shakes and sodas, having fun going back to his own childhood days.

He said two children size table and chair sets have been ordered so the little ones can feel like big kids.

The bigger kids sip their sodas and shakes in authentic ice cream chairs. These chairs were specially made for Malone's as none could be found.

Fred Harris, Malone's manager, said it's been a lot of fun getting the drug store up and running, adding they wanted the menu to have more than just burgers. This led to the creation of specialty sandwiches.

Malone's son-in-law, a chef, helped with the menu, which also turned into a community effort. "I knew there could be problems early on," he said, "but I wanted to make sure we had good food. We've met our objective and all food is made to order."

The environment, he said, was important. It's not a place where people feel compelled to rush and be in a hurry, but somewhere a meal can be enjoyed.

The early success of Malone's has the owner thinking other projects could be stimulated for downtown.

While Malone was flitting around the store, customers commented on how great the setting was and how tasty the treats were. There was even a discussion on the proper thickness of a milkshake.

Malone's Drug Store is the perfect setting for young couples to go and "pitch woo," as they enjoy an old fashioned ice cream soda or malted.

Malone said once the business is up and running more consistently, special events, such as birthday parties, can be scheduled there.