Chelsea Drugstore

Opened in 1968, The Chelsea Drugstore was a sleek modern glass and aluminum fronted building on the northwest corner of Royal Avenue and the Kings Road, in west London. Modeled on Le Drugstore on Boulevard St Germain in Paris, the Chelsea Drugstore was arranged over three floors and on most days remained open for up to 16 hours. Inside customers would find bars, a chemist, newsstands, record stores and other concessions. A popular service was the 'flying squad' delivery option run by the store. Those who used this service would have their purchases delivered by hand by young ladies adorned in purple catsuits arriving on flashy motorcycles.^[1]

In popular culture

The store is notably mentioned in The Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want" as well as it being a film location in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange.^[2] The store became a wine bar and then a McDonald's. Both pub and retail shops below were open until the late 1980s.

References

1. ^ http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/vmgallery/general/medium.asp?gallery=vm_chelsea_walk&img=chelsea_walk/thumb/vm_cw_0028.jpg&size=medium
2. ^ http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/c/clockwork.html

Coordinates: 51°29′23″N 0°09′46″W / 51.4898°N 0.1628°W / 51.4898; -0.1628