Hook's Drug Stores was an

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

–based drug store chain which was founded in 1900 by John A. Hook. The chain flourished throughout central

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

for most of the 20th century. Hook's did business under its own banner, the SupeRX Drug Stores banner outside its core market, and the Brooks Pharmacy banner after acquiring the New England pharmacy chain. The entire company was eventually purchased by fellow Midwestern drugstore chain

Revco Revco Discount Drug Stores (known simply as Revco or Revco, D.S.), once based in Twinsburg, Ohio, was a major drug store chain operating through the Ohio Valley, the Mid-Atlantic states, and the Southeastern United States. The chain's stock w ...

. Most former Hook's locations that are still open operate as CVS, which bought out Revco in the late 1990s and rebranded their stores as CVS. The Brooks Pharmacy stores were divested by Revco after the purchase; most of them operate as

Rite Aid Rite Aid Corporation is an American drugstore chain based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1962 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, by Alex Grass under the name Thrift D Discount Center. Prior to its first bankruptcy in 2023, it was the th ...

stores.

History

In October 1900, pharmacist John A. Hook opened the first Hook's Drug Store in an Indianapolis German community at the corner of South East and Prospect Streets. A second location opened at the corner of New Jersey and East Washington Streets and Hook added Edward F. Roesch as a partner. By 1912, the chain had expanded to twelve stores. Many of Hook's interwar drug stores were designed by Kurt Vonnegut Sr. of

Vonnegut & Bohn Vonnegut & Bohn was an architectural firm in Indianapolis, Indiana in the United States. Founded in 1888 by Bernard Vonnegut Sr., FAIA (1855–1908) and Arthur Bohn (b. 1861), all the partners were German Americans and were trained in both Am ...

. Roesch became president of the company in 1943 upon Hook's death. In 1956, following Roesch's death in a traffic accident, John Hook's son, August F. "Bud" Hook, assumed leadership of the company. The chain added 150 new stores between 1946 and 1972. In 1985, The Kroger Company outbid

, which had attempted a hostile takeover, and acquired the Hook's chain. Kroger divested itself of Hook's and its own SupeRx drugstores a year later, and Hook's became a division of the privately held Hook's-SupeRx. Hook's-SupeRx acquired the New England–based Brooks Pharmacy chain in 1988. Hooks-SupeRx stores traded under three different names – Hook's Drug and SupeRx in the Midwest and Brooks Pharmacy in New England. Hook's-SupeRx was acquired by

in 1994. Revco was subsequently acquired by CVS in 1997. Many former Hook's locations are now CVS Pharmacies. A restored 19th-century Hook's drug store stands at the

Indiana State Fairgrounds The Indiana State Fair is an annual state fair that spans 15 days in August in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. The Indiana State Fair debuted in 1852 at Military Park (Indianapolis), Military Park in Indianapolis and is the sixth oldest state fair i ...

, and is a popular attraction at the annual

Indiana State Fair The Indiana State Fair is an annual state fair that spans 15 days in August in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. The Indiana State Fair debuted in 1852 at Military Park in Indianapolis and is the sixth oldest state fair in the U.S. It is the largest ...

. It was originally built in 1849 and has been restored with authentic 19th century cabinets.

Hook's Apothecary

In 2000, the great-grandchildren of John A. Hook opened Hook's Apothecary in

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...

. The store specializes in compounding prescriptions. It has no corporate ties to CVS.

Hook's Oxygen and Medical Equipment

After Hook's was sold to

, the Oxygen and Medical Equipment stores continued under the Hook's name in many of the same locations as before. It is now a subsidiary of Rotech Medical Corporation.SEC Info - Rotech Medical Corp - 10-K - For 7/31/96 - EX-22.1
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References

External links

Hook's Drug Store Museum and Soda FountainHook's ApothecarySupeRx TV Commercial
{{CVS Health CVS Health Defunct pharmacies of the United States Defunct companies based in Indianapolis American companies established in 1900 Retail companies established in 1900 Retail companies disestablished in 1994 1900 establishments in Indiana 1994 disestablishments in Indiana Health care companies based in Indiana