Pre-CVS drugstore in Oxford Valley Mall?

Moderator: Groceteria

Post Reply
JoshAustin610
Contributor
Posts: 49
Joined: 26 Feb 2009 22:03

Pre-CVS drugstore in Oxford Valley Mall?

Post by JoshAustin610 »

Would anyone know if the Oxford Valley Mall (Langhorne, PA) had a drugstore of some kind at some point before the now-closed CVS? The CVS didn't open until around 1990, and closed in 2008; almost every other mall in the area had some kind of drugstore from the beginning (in this case in 1972-73). For example, the Plymouth Meeting Mall didn't have a CVS until 1993, but it had a Peoples Drug long before that. Here are the other ones I know about:

Village Mall, Horsham: Thrift Drug (71)
Plaza @ KOP, King of Prussia: Thrift Drug (63, relocated 93)
Court @ KOP, King of Prussia: CVS (81, closed 96)
Montgomery Mall, North Wales: CVS (77, closed 07)
Willow Grove Mall, Willow Grove: CVS (82, closed 06)

Neshaminy Mall, Bensalem: Thrift Drug (68, closed 07)
Bucks County Mall, Feasterville: Thrift Drug (67, relocated 97, closed 00)

Granite Run Mall, Media: CVS (74)
Springfield Mall, Springfield: Rite Aid (75, not sure when closed)

Coventry Mall, North Coventry: Thrift Drug (66, relocated 05)
Valley Forge Mall, Phoenixville: Thrift Drug (75, relocated 00)

Gallery II, Center City: CVS (84, closed 09)
Cheltenham Square, North Philly: Peoples Drug/ Rite Aid (65?, closed no later than 97)
Roosevelt Mall, Northeast: Martin's Drug/ Rite Aid (65)
Franklin Mills, Northeast: Phar-Mor (89, closed 02)

The only other mall in the area I'm curious about is Exton Square; I've never found any info it's ever had a drugstore since it opened! Any info, please let me know. Thanks!

Josh
werememberretail
Contributor
Posts: 74
Joined: 09 Jan 2010 23:02

Re: Pre-CVS drugstore in Oxford Valley Mall?

Post by werememberretail »

Josh. Being from the area and visiting that mall frequently esp during the 1980s there was a HBA--only Rite Aid at the Oxford Valley Mall until the 90s, it may have been the same location as the said CVS (which moved up the road to a bigger location in Yardley) and speaking of the(and speaking of Rite Aids), I think probably the Thrift/Eckerd/RiteAid in the KOP Plaza is the only surviving mall based drugstore (with a pharmacy nonetheless!)
JoshAustin610
Contributor
Posts: 49
Joined: 26 Feb 2009 22:03

Re: Pre-CVS drugstore in Oxford Valley Mall?

Post by JoshAustin610 »

Thanks for the info; if it closed no later than 1991 there wouldn't be any record of it on the internet (since Bucks County's newspapers don't have archives that go back that far online). It's interesting that even in the early 90s CVS was still actively expanding into malls, to the point where they would move in after another drugstore had left.
JoshAustin610
Contributor
Posts: 49
Joined: 26 Feb 2009 22:03

Re: Pre-CVS drugstore in Oxford Valley Mall?

Post by JoshAustin610 »

For a further update, I have since found a website (licensedirect.com) that lists current and former pharmacy licenses in PA with the dates they were issued (usually a few weeks before the store's opening) that's given me a lot of stuff to work with. According to that the Rite Aid in Middletown Township (meaning Oxford Valley Mall) did have a pharmacy until no later than 1981; I've since also found 70s ads listing it. It also lists a Rite Aid in Exton that opened in 1978 and closed (either the pharmacy or the entire store) no later than 1983; I wonder if that could have been in Exton Square. On the NJ side, I've found ads that the Quaker Bridge Mall once had a non-pharmacy CVS, but it would have been gone since the mid 90s.
Post Reply