We learned recently that all of the remaining Bartell Drugs stores will close this year. KUOW’s Kim Malcolm reached out to local historian Feliks Banel to mark the sad final chapter of a remarkable business story. They talked about what led to the moment in 1890 when 22-year-old pharmacist George H. Bartell Sr. bought a drug store in Seattle, and what happened next.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Kim Malcolm: I read that George Bartell left home when he was just 14 years old. He went to Lincoln, Kansas, and found work doing odd jobs in a drug store. Here’s how he recalled his start later on:…