Gray's Drug Store


Company Names, addresses, dates: 1
  Winston Drug Co, Farmville VA (1895-1911)
  A.T. Gray Drug Company, Farmville VA (1911-1914)
  Farmville Pharmacy, 251 Main St., Farmville VA (1914-1917)
  Gray's Drug Store, 241 Main St., Farmville VA (1918-1926)
  Gray's Drug Store, 307 Main St., Farmville VA (1926-1931)
  Gray's Drug Store, 247 Main St., Farmville VA (1931-1954)
  Gray's Drug Store, 219 Main St., Farmville VA (1954-1968)
  Gray's Drug Store, 209-211 Main St., Farmville VA (1968-1993)

Notes:
Alexander Trent "Sandy" Gray (1869-1961) was the son of John Taylor Gray, who was a partner of the Adie & Gray drugstore in Richmond VA the 1850s.1
A.T. Gray started as a partner of the Winston & Gray drug store in Farmville. In 1914, he bought out his partner Mr Winston. The new drug store was called the A T Drug Company from 1911-1914. Then about 1914 Gray moves to Dr. W.E. Anderson's Drug Sore location and started the Farmville Pharmacy with partner R.L. Paulett. Paulett died in 1917, and so in 1918 the store is named Gray's Drug Store. 1 Gray's Drug Store lasted until 1980. Over that time period, A.T. Gray was one of 7 owners, and there were 11 different locations. In 1980, the drug store was taken over by the Peoples chain of drug stores1
I find it interesting that the phone number embossed on some of the bottles below is simply a 2-digit number.
Based on a postcard shown below, this drug store eventually became part of the Rexall chain of drug stores.

Bottles:

gray_01 These are clear 6.0" and 4.7" bottles, both embossed:
vertical: GRAY's DRUG STORE / PHONE NO 56 / 241 MAIN ST. FARMVILLE, VA.
gray_02 This is an amber 3.25" (1 oz) screw-top bottle with a label:
label: Oil of ____ / GRAY's DRUG STORE / IF IT IS DRUGS, WE HAVE IT / PHONE 56 / 307 MAIN ST. FARMVILLE, VA.
gray_11 This is an amber 3.25" (1 oz) screw-top bottle with a label:
label: ... GRAY'S DRUG STORE / IF IT IS DRUGS WE HAVE IT / 219 NO. MAIN ST FARMVILLE, VA. / PHONE: 56
gray_10 This is a clear 2.8" screw-top bottle with a 1965 label:
label: REG NO. 2045 / GRAY'S DRUG STORE, INC / PHONE EX2-3145 / 219 NO. MAIN ST. FARMVILLE, VA. / ... 2-15-65 ...
gray_07 This is a clear 2.7" screw-top bottle with a 1968 label:
label: REG NO. 2045 / GRAY'S DRUG STORE, INC / PHONE 392-3145 / 219 NO. MAIN ST. FARMVILLE, VA. / ... 4-30-68 ...
gray_08 This is a clear 2.3" screw-top bottle with a 1968 label:
label: REG NO. 2045 / GRAY'S DRUG STORE, INC / PHONE 392-3145 / 219 NO. MAIN ST. FARMVILLE, VA. / ... 10-31-68 ...
gray_09 This is a clear 2.3" screw-top bottle with a 1964 label:
label: GRAY'S DRUG STORE, INC / REG NO 2045 PHONE 392-3145 / 209 N. MAIN ST. FARMVILLE, VA. / ... 6/9/64 ...
(this might be a mistake bottle, as newspaper articles indicate that Gray's didn't open it's store at 209 N Main St until 1968, yet this is dated 1964)
gray_06 This is a clear 2.3" screw-top bottle with a 1970 label:
label: REG NO. 9392 / GRAY'S DRUG STORE, INC / PHONE 392-3145 / 209 N. MAIN ST. FARMVILLE, VA. / ... 10-19-70 ...
gray_05 This is a clear 2.7" screw-top bottle with a 1971 label:
label: REG NO. 9392 / GRAY'S DRUG STORE, INC / PHONE 392-3145 / 209 N. MAIN ST. FARMVILLE, VA. / ... 5/17/71 ...



Other Items:
gray_03 This postcard is post-marked 1942, and depicts Gray's Rexall Drug Store on Main Street.
gray_04 This picture came from Google Maps. It's my best guess as to where Gray's drug store pictured above was on Main Street, although it appears that it's not the original building.


1 Farmville-Prince Edward Historical Society presentation "The Drug Stores of Farmville", by Jimmy Hurt April 2019


Back to my drugtstore bottle home page.


This page last updated on October 5, 2023.