Toomer's owners revive Auburn tradition

By Charles Barnette

 

TOOMER'S DRUGS

Name: Toomer's Drugs Number of locations: 1 Number of employees: 9 Years in business: 106, 4 years under ownership of Don and Betty Haisten Gross annual sales: Less than $500,000

Don and Betty Haisten, owners of Toomer's Drugs in Auburn, keep 300-400 rolls of tissue on hand for Auburn University fans to roll trees at Toomer's Corner after a victory.

AUBURN -- On game day, thousands of football fans come to the intersection between

Toomer's Drugs and the Auburn University campus just across the street to gather, celebrate, roll the Corner, drink lemonade and remember the past.

Toomer's is in the oldest building in downtown Auburn. This desire for tradition is what led '72 Auburn pharmacy graduates Don and Betty Haisten to purchase the 106-year-old Toomer's Drugstore that had sat empty for four years.

Although it carries the name "Drugs," Toomer's only offers over-the-counter medicine, since the university's pharmacy takes care of student needs.

However, it is game day fans that Don Haisten likes to help. Some of the 80,000 fans come in for stomachaches, lost lenses and toothaches.

On other days, the store fills the bellies of students and alumni under the careful watch of manager Michael Overstreet and his wife, Michele. Michael Overstreet is an Auburn graduate who has worked for Haisten in his drug store in Trussville since high school.

"I asked Mike, who had earned a business degree, if he would like to help remodel and operate Toomer's, and he has done an excellent job ever since."

Michael Overstreet oversees the two full time and seven part-time employees in Auburn. Haisten has seven full time and 17 part-time employees in Trussville.

"Operating Toomer's profitably would not have been possible without its being integrated into my store in Trussville, one of the few remaining independent pharmacies," Haisten said. "Without prescriptions, you couldn't make it as a stand-alone operation. But, we already operated a soda fountain and had a gift department. After 25 years, the Trussville store had reached its potential. Coupled with my keen interest in Auburn tradition and ability to handle buying, payroll and bookkeeping from my original operation, Toomer's is doing quite well."

He secured licensing, marketing and sales rights for the Toomer's name and logo. In addition to his residence in Trussville, Haisten maintains an Auburn condo. He is a raving Tiger fan, present for just about every sports competition.

While there are only 47 seats at the Auburn landmark, Toomer's serves more than 1,000 lemonades on game day. It's popular with families, because of its non-fried food choices -sandwiches, soups and ice cream concoctions - and it's fun atmosphere.

By tradition, when Auburn wins a game, the city allows the trees at

Toomer's Corner to be rolled, a practice that dates back to the '60s but which has been enhanced for basketball, baseball and other wins in recent years. Haisten, who helps in the store on game days, keeps 300-400 tissue rolls on hand for rolling.

Toomer's newest tradition is its own Toomer's brand merchandise that will supplement souvenir Auburn and Tiger goods. The "shop-toomers.com" Web site is just coming online, and will enable fans to order merchandise and gallon jugs of the 100-year-old secret recipe lemonade.

Haisten tells fans on the new Web site, they'll have plenty of fresh Toomer's Celebration Lemonade and tissue on hand for the season-opening home game against Southern California.

When the two pharmacists revived the favorite of Auburn fans; they spent more than $100,000 in construction costs to remodel Toomer's and more to stock it.

The Trussville store pays the bills, even with narrow profit margins, but Haisten's heart is often at Toomer's Corner, the heart, soul and gathering place of the Auburn community.

"That is not to say Toomer's Drugs is not profitable, which it is," he quickly adds. "Toomer's is a special place in a special location and I am pleased to have had a part in restoring this important Auburn tradition," Haisten said