lookashiny (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lookashiny) wrote2019-01-15 07:35 pm
lookashiny) wrote2019-01-15 07:35 pm
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Rural Ramblings: Cambridge Pharmacy and Gift Shop
The Cambridge Pharmacy and Gift Shop was an odd place. I'm not sure when it opened, but it closed somewhere between late 2004 and mid 2005. There is, as far as I can tell/google, no trace of it on the internet. The Cambridge General Store, that closed a few months later, at least has a few outdated website pages come up when you search for it.
When I first visited it, the Pharmacy and Gift Shop occupied the front of the first floor of the two-floor section of the Cambridge Marketplace (the second floor was, and still is as far as I know, an apartment). In 1997 or so, it expanded into the front of the one-floor addition, as well, pushing the Showtime video rental place around to the side of the building. I spent most of my time (and money) there after the expansion.
Post expansion, the original space was where the pharmacy was, along with some stationary/office/school supplies, where I bought notebooks, pens, and folders for school. My parents got medicine there, though mostly OTC, unless we were prescribed something from the dentist. I'm pretty sure the place where we could drop off film to develop it, back when we had film cameras.
The toys and gifts were in the expansion half, as were the chocolates at the counter. There were a few candy bars there that the store nearby didn't have, so I'd go there for stuff like Reese's Sticks and Ghirardelli squares. They had a pretty large display of Beanie Babies, which I saved my allowance to buy. I think I had 30ish in the end. I also got some weird, glow in the dark, plastic string stuff there, once. It was cool, but it smelled weird. There were other toys there, mostly cheap ones, but I remember the variety being interesting.
The gifts were part Vermont-related stuff and part semi-random stuff you'd only get as gifts. The Vermont-related stuff was things like calendars, postcards, possibly t-shirts, stuff like that. The other stuff was more interesting to me. There were books of recipes you could make with beer, duct tape crafts, and those What to Expect When You're Expecting books. There were also little figurines, photo frames, candle holders, stuff like that. I got my mom a little mouse figure that sat on her computer for Mother's Day once.
There was also a small section of New Age stuff. They had some crystals, Tarot Cards, books about auras and divination, and stuff. I got a miniature book of palmistry there once, that was on a key chain. There may have been Wiccan/Pagan stuff there, too.
All in all, it was an interesting, quirky place. There is a Kinney Drugs in its place now, so people can still get medicine, but it's not quite the same. The gifts and toys that made it worth going to are gone, and I miss it.
When I first visited it, the Pharmacy and Gift Shop occupied the front of the first floor of the two-floor section of the Cambridge Marketplace (the second floor was, and still is as far as I know, an apartment). In 1997 or so, it expanded into the front of the one-floor addition, as well, pushing the Showtime video rental place around to the side of the building. I spent most of my time (and money) there after the expansion.
Post expansion, the original space was where the pharmacy was, along with some stationary/office/school supplies, where I bought notebooks, pens, and folders for school. My parents got medicine there, though mostly OTC, unless we were prescribed something from the dentist. I'm pretty sure the place where we could drop off film to develop it, back when we had film cameras.
The toys and gifts were in the expansion half, as were the chocolates at the counter. There were a few candy bars there that the store nearby didn't have, so I'd go there for stuff like Reese's Sticks and Ghirardelli squares. They had a pretty large display of Beanie Babies, which I saved my allowance to buy. I think I had 30ish in the end. I also got some weird, glow in the dark, plastic string stuff there, once. It was cool, but it smelled weird. There were other toys there, mostly cheap ones, but I remember the variety being interesting.
The gifts were part Vermont-related stuff and part semi-random stuff you'd only get as gifts. The Vermont-related stuff was things like calendars, postcards, possibly t-shirts, stuff like that. The other stuff was more interesting to me. There were books of recipes you could make with beer, duct tape crafts, and those What to Expect When You're Expecting books. There were also little figurines, photo frames, candle holders, stuff like that. I got my mom a little mouse figure that sat on her computer for Mother's Day once.
There was also a small section of New Age stuff. They had some crystals, Tarot Cards, books about auras and divination, and stuff. I got a miniature book of palmistry there once, that was on a key chain. There may have been Wiccan/Pagan stuff there, too.
All in all, it was an interesting, quirky place. There is a Kinney Drugs in its place now, so people can still get medicine, but it's not quite the same. The gifts and toys that made it worth going to are gone, and I miss it.