Hamlin Drug Company in Raleigh, North Carolina is the oldest African-American-owned pharmacy in the nation. At 108 years old, Hamlin has offered a century-long legacy of comfort and hospitality to its good neighbors in downtown Raleigh, and pharmacist John Mitchell Johnson has led the way for over five decades.
Originally founded in 1904 as People’s Drug Store, Hamlin Drug Company (which changed its name in 1907) is a well-known staple serving the African-American community in downtown Raleigh, located in the heart of the central business district.
In 1957, Johnson teamed with partner Clarence Coleman and purchased Hamlin Drug Company from the family of Captain James E. Hamlin. Johnson and Coleman had a vision of keeping the old-time Hamlin traditions of excellent service and hospitality while continually improving the pharmacy’s business offerings and serving as role models to the rapidly growing younger African-American community.
The next two decades brought drastic changes, including racial turmoil and sweeping political, social and economic unrest. The 50+ African-American owned businesses that once filled Hargett Street would dwindle to just a half-dozen survivors in the ‘80s, with only a few still standing in the new millennium. Over the decades, Johnson and Coleman witnessed firsthand events that we now only read about in history books: from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s march on downtown Raleigh in the late 1950s to the eventual dwindling of racial prejudice in the South. Hamlin has evolved as well into a high-tech pharmacy that uses a prescription-filling robot and digital marketing to reach an ever broadening audience.
Today, Hamlin Drug is still owned and operated by Pharmacist Johnson (his partner Clarence Coleman died in 1990), and he now shares the legacy with his daughters, Mischelle Corbin and Kimberley Scott. Johnson, who celebrated his 81st birthday this year, still works in the pharmacy six days a week and enjoys greeting generations of customers who, when they stop in to visit, are often greeted by name.
The Johnson family still gives top priority to philanthropic endeavors, including supporting centers for the homeless and battered women, supporting an intern program for Wake County Public School System students, and mentoring aspiring pharmacy students. Over 350 employees, most of whom were college students working their way through school, have worked in the Hamlin Drug “family” over the years. One employee even asked her then boss Johnson to walk her down the aisle at her wedding, and he did.
Hamlin’s dedication to personal service for its customers is clear to the generations of families it serves. The century-long staying power of Hamlin is not only proof of Mr. Johnson’s perseverance, but also a tribute to the family’s long-standing values. Hamlin’s excellent customer service mixed with its commitment to the Raleigh community, its role as a friendly neighbor to downtown residents and its dedication to staying on the cutting edge of the pharmacy field make up the cornerstones of the business and the legacy Hamlin has carried for over five decades.
