135-year-old pharmacy shuts down all its stores

• U.S. pharmacy chains have closed thousands of stores over the past few years.
• Rite Aid is in the process of closing all of its locations as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
• Another legendary name is impacted by Rite Aid's shutdown.

It's nearly impossible for a brand to survive and thrive for over 100 years.

Even one-time best-in-class brand names like Sears eventually fail to evolve and, at least in that case, hang on as a sad reminder of what they once were. Usually, for a company to hit 100 years, it needs an incredible amount of luck, or it has to be reinvented multiple times.

Even having your name still exist after that long is a tribute to the enduring nature of what was built.

In fact, while there are a number of American brands over 100 years old, many of them are currently struggling. Some are in worse shape than others, however, and Bartell Drugs, founded in 1890, actually fell off the list on Sept. 29 when its final locations closed.

U.S. retail brands over 100 years old

• Macy’s (founded 1858): Iconic department store chain
• J.C. Penney (1902): Once a national giant, still operating
• Sears (1892): Now mostly defunct, but historically important
• Kroger (1883): One of the largest supermarket chains
• Safeway (1915): Major grocery brand, now part of Albertsons
• Nordstrom (1901): Began as a shoe store in Seattle
• Walgreens (1901): National drugstore chain
• CVS (originally Melville Corp.): Traces back to 1903 roots
• Abercrombie & Fitch (1892): Originally an outdoor outfitter
• Levi Strauss & Co. (1853): Denim and apparel leader.
• Brooks Brothers (1818): Oldest American clothing retailer (recently restructured)
• Tiffany & Co. (1837): Luxury jewelry retailer
• Steinway & Sons (1853): Pianos, but with retail showrooms

"There are no shortcuts to becoming a brand that lasts. It requires choices: to invest in design over decoration, to value clarity over chaos, and to build for meaning rather than the moment," shared Fifty Thousand Feet Chief Strategy Officer Chris Prescher.

Bartell Drugs has closed its doors

Bartell's ultimate demise was set in motion in 2020 when the family-owned chain was sold to Rite-Aid. That pharmacy chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year and has been slowly closing all of its locations. 

At the time it was purchased by Rite-Aid, Bartell Drugs was a thriving chain with 67 locations. That number had dwindled in recent years, and CVS purchased 20 Bartell locations as part of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process.

Those 20 stores were rebranded as CVS locations.

Now, the final three Bartell Drugs locations closed their doors on Sept. 28, marking the end of a 135-year era.

More Bankruptcy:

• Beer brand and brewery files Chapter 11 bankruptcy
• Italian chain closed most restaurants in Chapter 11 bankruptcy
• Popular healthcare retail chain files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

"We tried to stay local and quirky," recalled John Lewis, 56, Bartell's former regional manager and food and beverage buyer, The Daily Mail reported.

Some former customers shared their thoughts on the chain shutting down.

"We lost ours several years ago. Forced to go to Walgreens now. The customer service is horrible compared to what we once had," wrote C64 as a comment on the story.

Other noted that very few local pharmacies still exist.

"The few independent pharmacies that are still around tend to be compounding pharmacies. They’ll prepare medications for people and pets that the chains won’t or can’t fill," shared Ed67.

U.S. pharmacy chain are closing locations

• CVS
• Planning to close 270 more stores in 2025 in addition to closures in prior year
• Closed about 900 stores over 2022–2024; this is part of a multi-year plan to streamline its retail footprint.
• Walgreens
• Aiming to close 1,200 of its U.S. stores by 2027.
• In its current fiscal year (2025), about 500 store closures are expected. U.S. 
• Many of the stores targeted are those that underperform, or are in locations where leases are ending or the properties are owned by the company. U.S. 
• Rite Aid
• Filed bankruptcy (more than once) and is closing all of its stores.
• Smaller pharmacy chains and independents
• Many smaller/local pharmacy chains are also closing stores or going through bankruptcy. Example: RX Discount Pharmacy (Eastern Kentucky) filed for Chapter 11.
• Independent pharmacies are disproportionately affected, especially in low-income, rural, or minority neighborhoods.

Source: The Street

Bartell Drugs timeline

• 1890: Founded by George H. Bartell Sr. in Seattle, becoming the nation's oldest family-owned drugstore chain.
• 2020: Sold to Rite Aid for $95 million; family ownership ends.
• 2023: Rite Aid files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; many Bartell locations close.
• 2025: Rite Aid files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy again; over 1,000 pharmacy services sold to competitors.
• May 2025: CVS acquires 64 Rite Aid stores, including 20 Bartell locations, and plans to rebrand them as CVS Pharmacy.
• July 2025: First Bartell location rebranded to CVS in Newcastle, Washington.
• August 2025: Bartell's flagship store at University Village closes.
• September 2025: Final Bartell locations in Kirkland, Mill Creek, and Gig Harbor close; all remaining Bartell stores are now CVS Pharmacy locations.

Related: 37-year-old retail icon near deserted after another business closes