Downtown landmark Cottongim Drug closes doors Monday

A Corbin landmark closed its doors Monday.

Citing recent health problems of his father, Donald T. Rollins, Terry Rollins who helped run the business for the last 20 years, said the decision was made to shut down the business.

"Dad got sick and is not going to be able to work the hours that he used to," Terry Rollins said, noting the final decision was made about a week ago "In order to take care of our customers, we decided this was the best way to go."

While Cottongim’s is closed, Rollins emphasized customers, many of whom are the second or third generation of their respective families to patronize the store, are not just getting the door locked in their faces.

Rollins has reached an agreement with Randy Windham at Sav-Rite Family Pharmacy on Master Street to send customers’ prescription records there.

"Our customers have been more than just customers, they have been family," Rollins said.

Rollins, who grew up around the store after his dad bought it in 1960 from J.C. Cottongim, remembers the store when it was the stereotypical American drug store, not only selling medicine, but offering general merchandise and featuring the soda fountain.

"It was a small fountain where you could buy sandwiches," Rollin said, noting that area was later converted into a cigar humidor.

Rollins added that the building at the corner of Third and Main streets originally had three stories, with the top two levels holding a variety of general merchandise for sale. It survived fire and flood, though not without scars. Following a fire in 1966, the top floor was removed.

Rollins said along with all of the memories, he will be taking several old apothecary scales that sat behind the pharmacy counter as long as he can remember along with the scale on which customers would weigh themselves that sat just inside the front door.

"The best thing will be the memories," Rollins said.

As to the building, itself, Rollins said the family will attempt to sell it.

"We just want to thank all of our customers who have been not just customers but family and friends," Rollins said. "We hate to see it end."