Sutton’s Drug Store is undoubtedly a family business – although maybe not in the way that immediately comes to mind. It’s not been passed along from one generation of a bloodline to another, but the Chapel Hill shop has fostered and maintained its own community over the course of its four owners.
Current owner Don Pinney is perhaps the most prominent example since his parents met while working at the store and he’s worked there in some form since he was 13. Pinney ran the diner side of operations from the 1990s onward, taking full ownership of the business once the pharmacy side of Sutton’s was bought out in 2014 by the nearby CVS.
The title of owner, and Sutton’s having two additional locations to its name, hasn’t changed Pinney’s attitude coming into work each day – as he still helps with any job and trades ‘hello’s and ‘how are you’s with regular customers. In the span of 20 minutes, he does a little bit of everything around the Chapel Hill location: checking out a customer, answering the phone, touching base with the cooking staff, helping set up the new awning at Sutton’s entrance – and talking about the store’s upcoming 100th anniversary on April 12.
Sutton’s Drug Store Owner Don Pinney took full ownership in 2014 after the pharmacy part of the shop closed, but he’d previous worked there for decades.
Pinney and others set up a newer awning for Sutton’s Drug Store in preparation for its 100th anniversary event coming up on April 12.
The drug store was first opened in 1923 by Lynwood and Lucy Sutton and its pharmacy was the main business for many years – although the food component was always there, as people grabbed snacks waiting for their prescriptions to be filled. Some of the trappings have gone away, like the toy store and the medicine aisles, but the back counter and pharmacy sign still hangs as a reminder of its operations under the prior owner Jim Woodard.
Pinney credits several things for the grill’s longevity and popularity. One is the family of staff members he’s assembled and largely kept the same for decades. But he said another is Sutton’s ability to adapt to the times – which was perhaps tested the most in 2020.
Like so many other local restaurants, Sutton’s closed during the first months of COVID-19’s spread. At one point, Pinney said it looked like the drug store was at risk of staying closed before the community of customers raised $45,000 to help keep it afloat. He said with that money, his focus was on keeping his staff members together.
“My first goal was to make sure the employees are taken care of,” said Pinney, “because they’re my offense, they’re the ones who make you want to come back to eat.”
That group who comes back – whether it’s current students, regulars at the shop, or people visiting to find their photo on the wall – are the extended family of Sutton’s. That willingness to help and refusal to let it close is another reflection of how the drug store is included in some’s definition of Chapel Hill and Franklin Street. Pinney said he weighs that responsibility and tries to have a balanced approach to the business.
“We’re in a college town, but we only rely on about 35-40 percent student [traffic],” he said. “The rest of it is alumni, locals and the community. We just want to make sure our roots stay there, and the students – our next generation – go through, become alumni and come back.
“Good philosophy says: the customers will tell you which direction to go as long as you take the time to listen,” Pinney adds with a laugh.
Some customers eat an early lunch at Sutton’s Drug Store, surrounding by photos of prior customers and different UNC memorabilia gifted to the store over recent years.
The pharmacy counter where John Woodard’s operations ran for many years remains at the back of Sutton’s Drug Store as a reminder of the shop’s beginning.
While the old fashioned soda fountain has long been removed from its front windows, Sutton’s Drug Store still operates as a soda shop — offering dozens of bottled soft drinks to customers.
A close sense of community isn’t unheard of for other restaurants or businesses in college towns. But the affinity for Sutton’s Drug Store runs deeply in ways that are hard to put to words beyond this: the staff makes its patrons feel at home. Descriptions of recognizing customers and stories of their traditions eating at the shop help paint a picture of its depth of comfort.
“It’s amazing how many children are born who are named Sutton,” Pinney brought up as one example. “I think there are four or five of [our customers] who named their child Sutton – or their dog. We have quite a few four-legged family [members] going around here.”
Past celebrations of Sutton’s have reflected that support as well. Pinney says the latest benchmark events, for the store’s 90th and 95th birthdays, saw thousands of hot dogs sold. And on Wednesday, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., they’re planning for another big bash on Franklin Street.
According to Pinney, there will be decorations, a DJ, and a deal for those who eat in-person.
“If it’s anything like the 90th anniversary, expect a long wait,” he warned. “But we’re doing it so $1 gets you a hot dog, fries and a drink. The first 100 people get a t-shirt and the customers after that get cups.”
Additionally, the drug store is taking video submissions of people’s best Sutton’s stories that will play through the celebration. Fans of the drug store can send their clips and messages to suttonsdrug@gmail.com to be displayed in the store and on its website.
Photo via Explore Chapel Hill.
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