A Late Retirement in West Point, Plaza Drugs

Plaza Drugs Co. in West Point, MS, closed down Friday, July 29, 2016, after nearly fifty years of service. J.C. Thompson, the proprietor of the cozy store, located next to Sunflower Food Store, 545 E. Main St., is retiring after 67 years in the pharmacy business. His family presented him with a cake to celebrate.



Johnson graduated from pharmacy school in 1949 and obtained employment with Barrett's Drugstore, now Barrett-Hodges Drugs, in Greenwood, MS the same year. He remained at Barrett's for seven years before moving to West Point in 1960, where he entered a partnership with fellow pharmacist Greely Nash. During this partnership, J.C. served on the State Board of Pharmacy form 1960-1964 under Paul Johnson. In 1967, J.C. achieved his dream of owning his own business in Plaza Drugs.

J.C. was assisted in running the store by his son, John, starting with his graduation in 1982. Mr. Johnson said without his son he could never have run the business as long as he did. His wife also assisted with record keeping and around the store. J.C. says he was fascinated with drugstores and dreamt of owning his own business, and John would maintain the store if possible, but the requirements on independent pharmacies are too high to continue.

Prior to his work in pharmaceuticals, Mr. Johnson served in the Marine Corps in Okinawa. He previously had two years of college in Union University in Jackson, TN before he returned to school in June of 1947 and graduated in August of 1949. He celebrated his 90th birthday in November of last year.

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You'll find my column in the Commercial Dispatch and Starkville Dispatch Business section, every Thursday, under the name "The Sherman Business Report," that's right, the Sherman Business Situation's name has been changed. You'll still find my embellishments here though, whenever I get a chance to write a bit more in depth about what's going on in the Golden Triangle! If you live in the Golden Triangle and have some information on a new or old business, please don't hesitate to hit me up at CWSherman93@gmail.com!

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