- Webb's City
Webb's City was a one-stop department store of sorts that was located in
St. Petersburg, Florida and was touted as "the World's Most Unusual Drug Store".It was started in the mid-1920s by James Earl "Doc" Webb in a building 17 by 28 feet (45m²). At its peak Webb's City had 77 departments and measured seven city blocks. It was considered a forerunner to the
shopping center .Webb was once taken to court for selling Ipana toothpaste below Bristol-Meyers' suggested retail price. The case went all the way to the
Florida Supreme Court which ruled in Webb's favor.Webb's had a gift shop,
hardware store, meat market, beauty salon,travel agency , clothing departments,cafeteria , multiple coffee shops and soda fountains and of course, adrugstore . Webb's City is credited as having implemented a new idea in the checkout aisle, the express lane, 10 items or less.Sales reached $4 million a year in 1941. As shopping centers became popular, business dwindled at Webb's City. It was eventually closed in 1979.
External links
* [http://www.lostparks.com/webbs.html an article about Doc Webb and his city]
*
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