Then: Thorburn's Drug Store

Thorburn's was a well-known name in the Niagara FaiJs business community for more than 90 years. In 1898, A. C. Thorburn purchased Smith's Pharmacy on Main Street. It was located in a building that had been at that location for more than 80 years. He named it the Battlefield Pharmacy, and two years later purchased the neighbouring store, Purcel Dry Goods at the corner of Main Street and Lundy's Lane. Thorburn Drug Store was born. The back of the building housed a telephone exchange, and after that, a police station and community jail.

The franchise expanded as Mr. Thorburn built a pharmacy at Victoria Avenue near Centre Street, and a third branch opened downtown, first on Erie Avenue and then Queen Street. In 1933, he sold the businesses to Clarence Muisiner and William Combe, who kept the Thorburn name.

Now: Niagara Falls Pawnbrokers

In 1991, customers were notified that Thorburn's would be opening at its new Shoppers Drug Mart location on Lundy's Lane. The Main Street location was taken over by Niagara Falls Pawnbroker Services.

Niagara Falls Public Library. 2017. Niagara Falls - Then & Now: A Photographic Journey Through The Years. Thorburn Drug Store/Niagara Falls Pawnbrokers.

Niagara Falls Then and Now
A collaborative project
Niagara Falls Museums - Niagara Falls Public Library - Dept. of Geography and Tourism Studies,Brock University.
Original newspaper series by Sherman Zavitz, Official Historian for the City of Niagara Falls from 1994 - 2019.

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