Counts Drugs (Closed)
Wytheville, VA
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

One sign apparently wasn't enough for Counts Drugs. The downtown Wytheville pharmacy advertised from two directions, with matching marquees making its corner easy to recognize. The brick building and projecting signs formed the sort of Main Street scene that once greeted shoppers in towns across the country. After dark, the neon added another reason to look up. 06-10

Dennis Reed Counts Sr. opened Counts Drug Company in 1954, beginning a business that would serve the community for 67 years. The pharmacy became a familiar local stop through decades of changing shopping habits, retaining its downtown presence while larger stores and newer commercial strips developed elsewhere.

Counts Drugs
Wytheville, VA
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

The signs gave the business an identity beyond the lettering on the windows. Positioned to catch approaching customers along both streets, they made practical use of the corner while adding character to the building. The entrance canopy's Art Deco-inspired details completed the picture, giving this neighborhood pharmacy an appearance worth noticing even when you weren't collecting a prescription.

UPDATE: Counts Drugs closed in 2021, but both vintage marquees remain on the building. Their preservation keeps the pharmacy's name visible in downtown Wytheville, carrying a familiar piece of its commercial history beyond the business's final day. 11-26