Fonds MS 44;1978.061;1999.009 - Vernon Drug Co. Ltd fonds

According to records of the Pharmaceutical Association of B.C., the first known pharmacy in Vernon was opened by Richard N. Taylor in July 1892. In August of 1892, Taylor moved his drugstore into the old Draper & Co. location on McKay Block and proceeded to conduct business. In many of his advertisements, Taylor listed the sale of perfumes, tobacco, toiletries, and chemicals as well as medicinal drugs. In October of 1895 Taylor hired Samuel A. Muir, a young man from New Westminster, as managing assistant, in order to holiday in England. Upon his return in January 1896, Taylor sold the business to Muir, who had apprenticed with his brother in New Westminster and become a licensed pharmicist in October 1893. Muir ran the business under his own name, S.A. Muir & Co. Having purchased J.S. Donaldson drug store stock at a sheriff's sale, Muir moved the business into the the old Donaldson premises on the south east corner of 30th Avenue and 33rd St. There he continued to run the drugstore until 1919, when he sold out to E.E. Barker. Barker, a returning WWI veteran, renamed the business as the Vernon Drug Co. He kept the business for about a year, and then sold it to J. Vans MacDonald. The latter used the name of the Vernon Drug Company until 1922, when he started to use the name MacDonalds Pharmacy. In 1927 MacDonald sold the business to L.R. Clarke and Fred H. Tennant. L.R.Clarke was licensed in Ontario. In August 1927, he registered as a certified clerk in the Pharmaceutical Association of B.C. and became the major shareholder in MacDonald's Pharmacy Ltd. Tennant apprenticed in Vernon with R.E. Berry, and passed the examinations in October 1914. As well as being a major shareholder, Tennant was the manager of the drugstore business with Clarke. In 1931, the business was renamed the Vernon Drug Co. Ltd., which was the name that continued to be used until its closure in 1987.