Poster: "Downtown Auburn"

Description:

Downtown Auburn, Alabama has changed and grown along with the community. So have many
of the businesses that have come and gone. As the student population of Auburn University has
changed, businesses have slowly changed to cater to student needs. Students have affected the
landscape of Downtown Auburn and changed how businesses function, or if they last. This
process has been seem in other communities and college towns around the world.
One example of a recently closed business that was important to the community is the Auburn
Hardware Store. In the 1940s and 1950s, this store sold nails, screws, wire, and bolts to local
individuals and businesses. The store also supplied paint and plumbing supplies, as well as mule
shoes. The store changed and sold Auburn souvenirs, before closing earlier this year. This store
fulfilled the needs of residents who needed the items it sold, but was less useful to students and
tourists despite its’ efforts. Like many other local hardware stores in the country, it has since
closed its’ doors. The store tried to change its’ focus away from hardware which students did not
buy.
Other businesses have changed and grown to fit the new residents of Auburn. A drugstore was
bought by Sheldon Lynne Toomer in 1906, and would later be known as Toomer’s Drugs. The
building was sold to McAdory Lipscomb in 1974. Toomer’s Drugs was a soda shop, and a spot
for young people as early as 1913. Toomer’s Drugs had a specific focus on prescriptions and
medicine. They sold bandages, Kleenex, soap, nail polish, envelopes, and hairbrushes. The store
focused on prescriptions and toiletries, and provided necessary items for the community of
Auburn. It was also a supplier for the university and university organizations and clubs.
Toomer’s also offered credit to customers in the community. Toomer’s is no longer a pharmacy.
It has been a landmark and a gathering place for generations of Auburn residents. It has become
an iconic place in the idea of Auburn, and has changed from what it was originally. It has value
as a symbol of the past. It is useful for tourists and students as a landmark, and to residents as a
continuing legacy. Toomer’s Drugs changed its’ purpose away from the selling of medicine and
instead offers the community a different service. Student populations have changed the meaning
of this traditional location and increased its’ mythical status. 

Abbey Kleiner

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