Given the local love for the Bartell Drugs chain, the editorial board asked you, our readers, to share favorite memories or what you will miss now that the chain has become part of CVS. Here are some of your answers.
Batteries, too
Bartell’s, the one located on Queen Anne Avenue at the top of Queen Anne Hill, was our go-to store for so many things beyond prescriptions and cough syrup.
When my daughter moved to Virginia, she proudly remained a loyal Seahawks fan. Bartell’s always carried Seahawks merchandise. I would find an item, say, a Seahawks scarf, then go to the stationery section for a padded mailing envelope. After paying, next was the No. 13 Metro bus stop in front of Bartell’s to go to the Mercer Street stop and the short walk to the post office.
Before COVID-19, I took my son to meet his cousins in Norway. For gifts, I shopped at Bartell’s, where I purchased Blue Diamond almonds and Almond Roca candy. Our cousins genuinely liked the items.
Bartell’s produced a monthly booklet with special offers and descriptions of products. I used to leaf through the booklet while enjoying coffee at the nearby coffee shop.
Every June I would buy replacement batteries for our smoke alarms from the excellent selection of batteries at the Queen Anne Bartell’s.
The decline in Bartell’s during the last two years has been sad to watch. Empty shelves, plus a continuous changeover in personnel as skilled employees moved to better opportunities.
In summary, I shall miss Bartell’s.
— Steve Ordal, Seattle
Like a small town
I appreciated the Magnolia Bartell’s because of the wide selection and the nice ladies with purple hair and eccentric makeup who knew me, my aunt, my sister, my kids, and my nieces and nephews. I suppose the same thing could happen with a CVS or other chain, but they made you feel like you were in a small town. And my son David still asks to go in every Bartell’s he sees to “buy a Blue Angel toy” — so far it’s the only place I’ve seen one.
— Jessica M. Clawson, Seattle
Building Bartell
I was a young architect with an office at Third Avenue and Stewart Street in the early ‘80s. The Bittman Sanders firm had a long relationship with George Bartell Sr. and George Bartell II for many decades. At that time, Bartell owned most of the stores and offices on Boren Avenue.
When a project came up, Mr. Bartell II would call and ask to speak to me, and for some reason, he seemed to like me. He would ask, “Are you clear?” and of course I was. He then would walk, always walk, from Boren and Stewart to the Securities Building and we would talk about a store remodel, or whatever else.
I loved the guy. He was short and to the point and appreciated the advice, but then he would whittle the architectural design features down so what was left was pretty much plain and utilitarian. He was interested in substance, not appearance.
— Daniel B. Taylor, Seattle
Friendly shopping experience
The best pharmacist my parents ever had was Sy at Bartell in the Alderwood mall. He was personable, professional, friendly and someone you could trust with all of your prescription needs. It was just the saddest of days when the store closed. No pharmacist has ever had the same personal interest that Sy had for his customers.
Bartell in Lynnwood was my store, right next to QFC, which is also gone. One holiday season I won the gift prize and received the gifts I had selected from the ad gift insert. What fun was that. My Bartell also developed the Fuji disposable camera’s photos when no one else did. That was my camera for years. The other Bartell stores I frequented were the Seattle store, near Macy’s, when I worked in Seattle, the Swedish Hospital store and the Shoreline store, which I frequented when I went to Sky Nursery.
Bartell had the best holiday reduced prices and I always shopped the ad. There was something for everyone. The store was set up for easy shopping and I loved the long middle aisle with the food items in our Lynnwood store.
So long to a friendly shopping experience. Another loss.
— Georgene Ranney, Lynnwood
Like family
I worked at the Snohomish Bartell’s for 10 years in the pharmacy until I retired. We had the best people working there during that time. What I miss most is being proud to be a Bartell employee and most of all not seeing my customers anymore. They were as much like family as the people that worked there.
— Dian Warman, Lake Stevens
Catered to neighborhood needs
Over the years, I’ve become closely acquainted with seven Bartell’s stores. Five of them are now closed. They were all a different size and not only carried standard merchandise but catered to the individual needs of the neighborhood.
At the triangular store it was canned coffee and lunches; University District it was school supplies; University Village was high-end gifts; Fifth Avenue and Olive Way was general household needs; Greenwood specialized in film processing and cameras; Northeast 125th Street and Lake City Way Northeast was books and a huge assortment of small individual snacks.
Most recently I frequented the Roosevelt store on the roof at Roosevelt Way Northeast and Northeast 65th Street. This was the best place in town to buy a shower curtain. They also sold assorted gifts, canned mushrooms and smoked salmon in the collector wooden box with the Northwest Native design painted on the lid, which made great gifts for hard-to-buy-for folks.
Ten or more years ago I couldn’t resist buying a key chain at the Roosevelt Bartell’s. It was a small metal teddy bear about 1 1/2-inches long with movable arms and legs. Over the years while it has been a buddy to my keys it has lost both legs and has become an aging paraplegic bear with swinging arms. I love this bear. He is a buddy.
In the summer after shopping at Bartell’s I’d go next door to Starbucks, buy a venti latte and a scone, and sit in the sun. It made the day complete.
— Beverly H. Perry, Seattle
Memories of ‘our’ Bartell’s
For decades, the Bartell’s location at Third Avenue and Union Street in downtown Seattle was our drugstore of choice. We lived just two blocks away, so I would drop by after running errands, more often than not when I didn’t even need anything.
The variety of merchandise, especially locally produced items, was astounding: Fran’s Chocolates, Aplets & Cotlets, Chukar Cherries. Asian and Italian specialty foods and vegetarian options were prominent on the shelves, as were seasonal and holiday items. The weekly newspaper circular offered killer deals and there were even discount days for seniors.
We especially appreciated the pharmacy manager at “our” Bartell’s. Alfred was a dashing young man who managed our prescriptions with expert care. After chatting with him during numerous prescription pickups and vaccination appointments, we learned that he was from Hong Kong, where he traveled periodically to visit his family and enjoy his mother’s home cooking.
When he got engaged, he proudly shared the happy news. After he moved to another store, we befriended his replacement who delighted in sharing photos of her young children.
Bartell’s was a place where we chatted with the longtime employees, a place we ran into our neighbors, a place where I bought milk-chocolate, salmon and Seattle-centric Christmas decorations.
The CVS in Target, where our prescriptions were ultimately transferred, couldn’t begin to compare.
For some reason, I’ve never deleted Alfred’s contact information from my phone. Perhaps because, whenever I run across it, I have happy memories of “our” Bartell’s.
— Braiden Rex-Johnson, Seattle
A family place
My life depended on Bartell’s.
As World War II was winding down and after D-Day, I was born.
My birth father, Winston, was career Navy and part of the Pacific campaign. He was one of the Greatest Generation.
My birth mother, Vanda, and Bob, my adoptive father, both worked for Bartell’s at the Second Avenue and Pine Street store. My Dad was the pharmacist, and my birth mom worked at the lunch counter.
When she became pregnant, she asked my adoptive father and mother if they would raise me as she knew my folks already had an adopted daughter from 1939. My sister worked for a while at Bartell’s during the mid-1950s.
As a small child, I remember meeting “old man Bartell,” as my Dad would say, probably to differentiate from George Jr. My dad was the pharmacist at other Bartell locations, like the triangle store and the Bartell’s near the northeast corner of North 85th Street and Greenwood Avenue North.
When I was 16, my mom, Florence, gave me the name of my birth mother.
By the time I reached my early 30s, both adoptive parents were deceased. Due to the efforts of WARM — Washington Adoption Reunion Movement — I searched for, found and reunited with my birthparents.
When I was 50, Vanda and Winston became widowed from their respective marriages. After a couple of years of long-distance dating, my birthparents reunited and were together for 15 years. They died in 2009 (Winston) and in 2015 (Vanda).
What a blessing — all my parents.
Bartell’s was, and until the final closing, a family place.
— Pam Queen, Shoreline
Bartell Drugs’ connection with Star Market
Seattle newspaper subscribers have seen a photo of our early family business many times over the years. However, if you had a contest to identify the business, I’m guessing no one would know who or what it was. Its greatest claim to fame is the fact that it is immortalized forever in the iconic photo of the first Bartell Drugstore.
In the earliest photo of the first Bartell Drugstore (under a sign that still says Lake Washington Pharmacy) you will see George Bartell and others posed in front of the store on Jackson Street. Sharing a wall with that store is a meat market, Star Market. In that photo, Harry Muhl (my great-grandfather) and his brother John are in their butcher aprons near the horse drawn delivery carriage, also on Jackson Street. As everyone knows, Bartell Drugs was very proud of its long heritage with Seattle and, on many occasions, would celebrate milestones using advertising flyers in the local newspapers. This original photo was almost always part of the advertising.
Star Market was a small operation and stayed in the same location long after George Bartell moved his business downtown and beyond.
— Kathi Ciskowski, Eastsound
