Drugstores used to be much more than places to pick up prescriptions. Throughout much of the 20th century, American pharmacies sold everything from beauty products and household remedies to candy, toys, magazines, and items that would seem unusual in a modern CVS or Walgreens.
Some of these products disappeared because technology changed, while others were replaced by safer alternatives or moved to specialty retailers. A few still exist, but finding them at an ordinary neighborhood drugstore can be surprisingly difficult.
1. Fountain Pens and Bottled Ink
Before disposable ballpoint pens became inexpensive and widely available, drugstores commonly carried fountain pens, replacement nibs, and bottles of ink. Students and office workers could pick up writing supplies alongside toiletries and medicine.
2. Home Permanent Wave Kits
At-home perm kits were once a familiar sight in drugstore beauty aisles. They promised salon-style curls without the salon visit, but changing hairstyles and the popularity of professional treatments have made them far less prominent today.
3. Film for Cameras
For decades, grabbing a roll of Kodak or Fujifilm at the drugstore was completely ordinary. Many pharmacies also developed customers’ photographs, but smartphones and digital cameras dramatically reduced demand for both film and processing.
4. Flashbulbs
Older cameras required disposable flashbulbs that had to be replaced after use. Drugstores stocked boxes of them for birthdays, vacations, and family gatherings, but electronic flashes eventually made the single-use bulbs obsolete.
5. Typewriter Ribbons
When typewriters were standard equipment in homes, schools, and offices, replacement ribbons were everyday supplies. Drugstores often carried common sizes, allowing customers to replace a faded ribbon without visiting an office supply store.
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6. Carbon Paper
Carbon paper allowed people to create duplicate copies of letters, receipts, and forms while typing or writing. It was once a practical drugstore purchase, but photocopiers, printers, and digital documents largely eliminated the need for it.
7. Shoe Polish in Multiple Colors
Drugstores once devoted more shelf space to shoe-care products, including tins and bottles of polish in brown, black, tan, white, and other shades. Casual footwear and synthetic materials have reduced the everyday demand for traditional polishing products.
8. Cloth Handkerchiefs
Before disposable tissues became dominant, reusable cotton handkerchiefs were a basic personal item. Drugstores frequently sold inexpensive versions for men, women, and children, sometimes packaged in small gift boxes.
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9. Hair Nets
Hair nets were once a routine beauty purchase rather than something associated primarily with food service or industrial workplaces. Women used nearly invisible nets to keep carefully styled hair in place, especially overnight or during bad weather.
10. Metal Hair Curlers
Drugstores carried bags and boxes of metal rollers, clips, and pins for creating curls at home. Foam rollers, heated styling tools, and changing hairstyles gradually pushed traditional metal curlers out of mainstream beauty aisles.
11. Denture Powder
Powdered denture adhesives were once much more visible alongside toothpaste and mouthwash. While denture-care products still exist, creams, strips, and other modern formats have taken over much of the shelf space once occupied by powders.
12. Razor Blade Sharpeners
Instead of constantly throwing away dull razor blades, some consumers used small devices designed to extend their usable life. As inexpensive disposable razors and cartridge systems became standard, blade-sharpening gadgets largely disappeared from drugstores.
13. Mercurochrome
This bright red antiseptic was a familiar sight in American medicine cabinets for generations and was commonly purchased at pharmacies. Concerns surrounding mercury-containing products and the availability of other antiseptics eventually caused it to disappear from ordinary U.S. drugstore shelves.
14. Boric Acid for Household Use
Boric acid was once routinely sold in pharmacies for a variety of household purposes. Although it remains available in certain forms and specialty products, shoppers are less likely to encounter the old-fashioned pharmacy packages that previous generations knew.
15. Pocket Sewing Kits
Small sewing kits containing needles, thread, buttons, and sometimes tiny scissors were useful emergency purchases. Drugstores frequently carried them near travel supplies and household goods, but they are much less common in modern pharmacy chains.
16. Greeting Cards With Built-In Telegram Forms
Drugstores were once important places to buy stationery, greeting cards, and communication supplies. Some stores carried forms and products connected with telegram services, giving customers another way to send urgent greetings or announcements long before texting and email existed.
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