Toomer’s Drugs celebrated its 125th anniversary this year in downtown Auburn.
Since Toomer’s was first founded, it has experienced many changes. However, it has always fostered family, tradition and the Auburn experience between students, faculty and the community.
Michael Overstreet, general manager for Toomer's, has worked there for over 21 years. He first began working at Toomer’s as a student at the University and said that it’s a decision he doesn’t regret.
“I think the best part of Toomer’s is that when people are coming in," Overstreet said. "They're excited to be here. This is their own vacation or they're coming down for the weekend or they're showing their grandkids the place where they got to go to school."
Sheldon Lynn Toomer founded Toomer's in 1896 and graduated from Auburn with a degree in pharmacy and agriculture.
Margaret Toomer Hall sold the store to Mac and Elizabeth Lipscomb during the 1950s.
Lisa Skelton, a 1986 Auburn alumna, discussed her memories associated with Toomer's Drugs.
“We couldn't drive on campus. Everywhere you went you had to walk,” Skelton said. “And you know it's not cool in Alabama in the summertime, it is nice and hot. So, it was always fun to go in there and either get a get a Coke in a glass bottle or get a cup of lemonade.”
In 1999, Betty and Don Haistens acquired the shop from the Lipscombs, transforming the store into a restaurant. The store remained a restaurant until the spring of 2020 when students returned home because of the pandemic, causing a decrease in employees.
Toomer's is now a walk-in store that sells smaller food items such as tuna and chicken salad, ice cream and lemonade.
Maddie Atherton, junior in finance, began working at Toomer’s in September 2020 after the transition, but she remembers when Toomer’s was still a restaurant.
“I really like how it is now. We’re able to have a lot more merchandise, and so we are able get a bunch of fun T-shirts and sweaters," Atherton said. “It actually gives us more time to talk to more customers because we get to interact with each of them instead of just a table or two.”
Although Toomer’s has changed throughout the years, it is still a highlight of downtown Auburn, and it still holds a place in Auburn’s history.
People visiting Auburn for the first time, students, alumni, fans, employees and more can be found in the store purchasing lemonade and merchandise or just talking to one another reflecting on all things Auburn.
Morgan Hill, senior in apparel merchandising with a minor in business, has been coming to Toomer’s Drugs since she was young with her parents and grandparents who also attended Auburn.
“I think Toomer’s is just a timeless piece of Auburn culture," Hill said. "It’s so fun to look back and think I’ve been going here since I was so little, and I love to come after class and get a lemonade. I feel connected to Auburn as a city, and I feel connected to Auburn as a university with Toomer’s."
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Kelis McGhee, junior in journalism, is a community writer for The Auburn Plainsman.
