February 6, 2018
Nate Goldstone’s Brookside Drug Store, located at Excelsior Boulevard and Brookside Avenue in Saint Louis Park, was a local staple for more than 40 years. Brookside Drug Store first opened in 1939; Nate Goldstone took over the store in 1946 and operated it until finally making the decision to sell in 1988.
These prescription medicine bottles were donated to the museum in 1990 by the Noble Medical Clinic. While Brookside is no longer here, we are lucky to have these bottles as part of our collection. They are a reminder of a store and a man that left their mark on our community.
In addition to the pharmaceutical services, Brookside Drug was a popular soda fountain stop; adults grabbed breakfast and lunch during the daytime, while local students stopped off for after-school sodas and snacks. With time, Brookside Drug — and its owner Nate Goldstone — became firmly established as part of life in St. Louis Park. Former Brookside Drug customers may also remember longtime employees such as Ethel Freeland and Birdie Carlson, who, like Goldstone, spent most of their careers at Brookside.
Do you remember Brookside Drug and its legendary owner? Or if you weren’t a St. Louis Park resident, did you, or do you have, your own Brookside Drug and Nate Goldstone in your neighborhood?
Sources
6001 Excelsior Boulevard, St. Louis Park Historical Society
“Pharmacist Mixes Love into Rx for Life.” Jake Tapper, Minneapolis Star, June 4, 1981.
Citizens State Bank of St. Louis Park advertisement, Minneapolis Star, May 21, 1988, p. 7