A better way, from Day 1
It all started with a bold idea, a $2,000 loan and a pharmacist who believed customers deserved better.
How a young pharmacist’s obsession with service sparked a 125-year legacy.
Walgreens didn’t begin as a plan to build a national company. It began as a belief.
In 1901, when Charles R. Walgreen bought his first drugstore, Chicago streets were alive with horse-drawn wagons, early automobiles and pedestrians carrying parcels tied with string. Inside the modest storefront—just 20 by 50 feet—prescriptions were filled by hand, sales were recorded in ink and every customer interaction happened face to face.
Walgreen was young, ambitious and convinced that the everyday shopping experience could be better. He was driven by a simple idea: Customers deserved to be treated with care, respect and urgency. So he borrowed $2,000 for a down payment and purchased the small store where he worked for $6,000.
If you can serve your customers with the same thoughtfulness, interest, courtesy and friendliness that you would show if they were guests in your own home, then you will have satisfied customers and find greater enjoyment in your work.
Charles R. Walgreen
Founder
From the start, the store lived up to that promise. Displays were neat, counters clean and orderly, and signage bold enough to be seen from the street. In an era when waiting was expected, Walgreen began to shorten the distance between need and service.
Speed that changed expectations
One of Walgreen’s earliest innovations became known as the “Two-Minute Stunt.” At a time when telephones were still new in many homes, customers could call in an order and, before the receiver was returned to its cradle, a delivery person would already be at their door.
Packages were bundled quickly and orders carried through city streets. What sounds ordinary today upended expectations at the time. Speed wasn’t just convenience—it was a sign of respect.
That philosophy fueled early growth. In 1909, Walgreen purchased a second store in Chicago just four blocks north. There, he and his wife, Myrtle, leaned into the soda fountain culture that was quickly becoming a social staple. During warmer months, stools were filled with customers chatting over fizzy drinks and ice cream. When winter arrived, they added hot meals, transforming the fountain into a year-round gathering place. The neighborhood pharmacy had become a part of daily life.
A happy accident that became a legend
By the early 1920s, Walgreens had expanded to nearly 30 stores, each built around the same standards of service. Then, in 1922, a small act of experimentation created something lasting.
Fountain manager Ivar “Pop” Coulson added two generous scoops of vanilla ice cream to a malted milk recipe, transforming it into the Double-Rich Chocolate Malted Milk. Thick, indulgent and unforgettable, it quickly became a customer favorite.
At 20 cents a glass, the malt offered more than a treat, it offered joy during a time when small luxuries mattered. Soon, the Double-Rich malt became a symbol of the Walgreens experience, enjoyed in stores across the country and remembered long after the glasses were cleared.
Making the name known
Walgreen believed quality deserved recognition. As radio sets became fixtures in American living rooms, Walgreens became the first drugstore chain to advertise on the air. In 1931, the company ran the largest sales print advertisement ever placed by a retail business, appearing in 122 newspapers across 98 cities.
Its presence at the 1933–34 Century of Progress World’s Fair in Chicago cemented the brand as part of a modern, forward-looking America, one that embraced innovation while staying rooted in everyday needs.
“No business can prosper without letting the public know of its existence and the values it offers,” Walgreen believed.
By 1925, the company had grown to 75 stores throughout the Midwest. And when Walgreen retired in 1939, the single storefront he once took a risk on had become a coast-to-coast chain of more than 500 locations.
Doing the little things right—still
When asked about his success, Walgreen didn’t credit size or speed alone. Instead, he spoke about discipline, consistency and care—about doing “a thousand little things the right way.”
That philosophy was forged in an era of handwritten prescriptions and soda fountains, but it continues to define Walgreens today.
One store. One idea. And a better way that’s still guiding us 125 years later.
The malt that made history
Invented by Walgreens fountain manager Ivar “Pop” Coulson in 1922, the Double-Rich Chocolate Malted Milk turned a simple experiment into a signature treat.
Ingredients
2 oz chocolate syrup
3 rounded scoops vanilla ice cream
4½ oz milk, cold
1 tbsp (heaping) malt powder
1 cookie treat
1 10–12 oz glass
Whipped topping
Instructions
- Combine syrup, ice cream, milk and malt powder in a malt can (or in a home blender).
- Place on malt mixer or in blender for 90 seconds.
- Fill glass two-thirds full.
- Top with whipped topping.
- Serve on a small plate with a cookie treat, straw and long-handled spoon.
- Serve remainder of malt in malt can.
Stay in the know
Stay connected with the latest updates and the latest news from Walgreens delivered straight to your inbox.
