I hope everyone had a great June and enjoyed celebrating graduations and Father’s Day. It’s been nice to get outdoors and enjoy the warm weather. We recently sponsored the Naperville Park District’s Kite Fly Festival in June and spent the day outside making crafts and watching kites with the community. While we’ve sure had some hot days this spring & summer, it doesn’t compare to 1971 at Ozzie’s!

1971 Fire at Oswald’s Pharmacy

If you lived in Naperville back then (Pop. 20,000 at the time), a fire at Oswald’s was definitely the talk of the town on July 2nd of 1971. Overnight, one of our two cigar humidors shorted out and caught fire. The ensuing blaze lit up the front end of the store along Jefferson Avenue. It caused over $24,000 in damage (about $170,000 damage today—holy inflation!) 

My dad, who was 15 at the time, remembers helping clean up the mess the following day. Most of the items went straight into the dumpster after being accounted for. At that time, we carried around 600 cartons of cigarettes! 

The fire was so hot it shot aerosol cans of Binaca breath-freshening spray across Jefferson Ave. breaking the windows of the liquor store across the street! Luckily no one was hurt putting out the fire. The fireman also did a wonderful job due to recent training on how to put out indoor fires with minimal damage. Only the very front end of the store was badly damaged. Here’s looking to stay fire free for another 51 years—at least!

Stay Cool This Summer!

After all the fire talk, it’s time to cool down–did you notice we put a new ice cream cooler in at the front of the store? Stop by this summer and beat the heat with a snack from our Hershey’s Ice Cream cooler. We’re also loaded up with patriotic decorations and gifts for all of your Fourth of July celebration needs.

We’re not doing a large outdoor Sidewalk Sale this year, but we will be marking down hundreds of items on display out front and in the back of the store. Stop by and find the perfect gift or toy for any upcoming birthdays, housewarming gifts, or block parties. Have a wonderful July and we’ll see you around the store! ℞