The Early Years 1875-1915 (William Wallace Wickel)

As we continue celebrating Oswald’s 145th Anniversary I thought I would take a look back at the history of our family business. Six generations of our family have run the business over the years beginning with Great great grandfather W. W. Wickel, who ran the store from 1881 to 1914. Wickel was an employee of physicians Daniels and Morse who had opened the store in 1875. He purchased the store from them in 1881 and changed the name to Wickel’s Drug Store.

In the latter part of the 19th-century pharmacy was a hybrid business combining the science of medicine with a general store.  When customers entered the store they were met by the scent of oils and herbs, as well as medicines. Items in the store ran the gamut from books to paint and wallpaper. Pharmacies like Wickel’s would become the health and social center of town. Wickel was also a Master Mason, a member of Naperville’s Euclid Lodge #65.

Coupon from 1895.

The Oswald Years 1915-1953 (Louis Oswald)

Wickel sold the store in 1915 to my Great grandfather Louis Oswald, who had married Wickel’s daughter Susanna in 1906. He gave it the name still used today and took the pharmacy through some tumultuous years.  Prohibition drove customers from the pubs into his store, as many patent medicines of the time had high alcohol content. In 1917, Oswald added a soda fountain, which offered a new sensation- Coca Cola.

Before 1920, more than 70% of Oswald’s prescriptions were made from scratch by the pharmacist. When the United States entered World War I the pharmacy changed forever.  Unable to get drugs from Europe on a regular basis, new American drug manufacturers began to fill the void with pre-mixed and patent medicines. In 1919 Oswald’s became a Rexall store, a happy affiliation that would last through the 70s.  The 1920s roared in and Oswald’s Pharmacy was able to offer cigars, cigarettes, and cosmetics. Oswald’s was also a major purveyor of Vitamins C and E and insulin when first introduced in the 20s.  They offered the new Kodak Cameras for $5.00 and processed most of the town’s film. In 1930, Harold Kester, a young pharmacist from Downers Grove came to work for Mr. Oswald. A year later he married his boss’s only daughter, Helen.

The Oswald’s interior during 1930. Harold Kester (left) & Louis Oswald (Center) are pictured.

The onset of the Great Depression in 1930 created hardships for every person and business in the nation. Yet Oswald’s managed to survive. A custom peculiar to small towns of the period was the closing of the downtown businesses each Wednesday afternoon.  Oswald’s never participated in this afternoon of leisure but instead remained open for customers. The store was open from 7:30 in the morning till 11:00 at night except for Saturday when the store was open until midnight!  From the early twenties until 1997, the store was open 365 days a year, over 27,000 consecutive days!

In 1941 the nation entered World War II and, once again, life changed for all. Everyone did what they could to aid the war effort. Help was very difficult to find, and more women began to work at Oswald’s. Slowly the shelves in the drugstore became self-service and displays became more open (to compete with the newly emerging supermarkets). Enormous progress was made in medicines in the 1940s and 50s as first sulfa and then penicillin was introduced.  Naperville was still very much a farm town and Oswald’s carried all the veterinarian products as well as household items the farming community needed. The drugstore was always the last stop for farm families on Saturday night as they gathered their purchases and treated themselves at the soda fountain. The store rarely closed before midnight.

The Kester Years 1953-1979 (Harold Kester)

Oswald sold the store to Grandpa Kester in 1953. Kester had spent time in the 30s as a salesman in the Midwest as the drugstore could not support two full-time pharmacists because of the depression. After seeing so many different stores, towns, and customer bases he began to build what would become Naperville’s premier drugstore. He leveraged Rexall’s spreading influence and “One Cent Sales” became something the entire town would look forward to. He expanded the cosmetic selection and had licensed cosmeticians on hand to help the customers. He also became a Russell Stover Candies franchisee. Stover was the top candy in the country and very particular to only have its product in the best stores and limited accounts by city. At its peak, the store would sell almost a ton of candy during the holidays!

In 1960 the soda fountain was removed and the store doubled in size. The new cosmetic department was the largest outside of Chicago. Almost all the products were now self-service and the store was well-lit. In 1968, the store was enlarged once more, taking it North to the alley. The added space allowed Kester to create a new card and gift section, as well as enlarge the photo and electronics department. Many Napervillians are not aware that Kester also opened Paradise Bookshop in 1964, today known as Anderson’s Bookshop.

Harold Kester (center) and his grandson Bill Anderson (right) draw a winning raffle ticket in 1980.

The Anderson Years 1979-Present (Robert Anderson, Bill Anderson, Alex Anderson)

My dad, Bob Anderson, married Kester’s daughter Jean in 1953. After serving in the Army he moved back to Naperville and began working at the store. He became a pharmacist in 1964. He was the pharmacist in charge of the mass polio immunization that took place at the high school that same year. He bought the store from grandpa in 1979. He also successfully steered Oswald’s through tough times.

As competition from the chains, along with pressure from insurance companies, reduced profit margins, Bob pioneered the introduction of money-saving generic prescription drugs to his customers. Further, in 1982 Bob brought the very first computerized pharmacy to Naperville. Though keeping things current, Bob still felt it important to keep many of the things that made Oswald’s unique, including house charge accounts and home delivery.

Oswald’s Pharmacy owner & pharmacist Bob Anderson (left) and 3 of his grandsons (Alex, Wil, Max) in 1990.

My siblings and I bought the store from Dad in 1991. We were still downtown and again had to make changes to the store to keep up with the times. Increased competition from chain stores and local malls encouraged us to change our merchandise mix. We reduced the cosmetic and beauty lines and enlarged our card and gift selection. Remember Beanie Babies?

In 2004 we decided to leave downtown for Naperville Plaza. Downtown had become such a destination that it was strangling most of the service-oriented businesses. A pharmacy needed adjacent parking and easy access. The new store was double the size of our downtown location! We added a large book and toy section along with expanded offerings in most departments. In 2015 we expanded our medical equipment department into an adjacent space in the Plaza.

Currently, two of my sons are working here. Alex has taken over a lot of the day to day operations as general manager. Wil is our web guru and manages our website and online presence. Daughter Allison also moonlights as our social media maven. I am extremely proud to have this sixth-generation join the business. I also am very grateful for the previous generations’ sacrifice and hard work to keep this business open and able to serve our great community!