Square stories · what the public record says about a shop on the square
Carter’s Drug Store, 106 Elk Ave. S.
East side of the square. See the building’s card
What the public record says
Carter’s has been part of the square for a long time. Fayetteville Main Street calls it “In continuous operation since 1899” and “one of Fayetteville’s most enduring and beloved institutions.” In June 2024 the Elk Valley Times reported that “Carter’s Drug Store and Fayetteville Main Street are teaming up at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 18 for a confetti pop to celebrate the store’s” 125th year.
It isn’t only prescriptions, either. Main Street writes that “one of the store’s most surprising best-sellers is its bridal registry.”
The spot itself has a long drugstore story. On the old Sanborn fire insurance maps of the square, the lot at today’s 106 Elk Ave. S. is labeled “Drugs, Paints & Oils” in 1907, “Drugs” in 1914 and “Drugs & Paints” in 1926. Next door, the 1907 map prints “Elk National Bank.” The City of Fayetteville’s square tour says: “For over a century a bank under various guises operated in what is [now] the entrance half of Carter’s Drugs.” (The maps show a drugstore on that lot; they don’t name the business, so we can’t say from the maps alone that it was Carter’s.)
Sources: Fayetteville Main Street, “Beyond the Counter” (July 11, 2025) · Elk Valley Times, “Carter’s Drug Store to celebrate 125th year” (June 12, 2024) · Sanborn maps 1907 and 1914 (Library of Congress) and 1926 (UT Knoxville Libraries), as shown on our east-side page · City of Fayetteville, “Fayetteville Square” (the city’s page reads “what is not the entrance half”; we’ve marked our reading as [now]).
For young entrepreneurs
- Start small. Sell one thing to a few people you know before you make a lot of it.
- Keep a notebook. Write down what you spent and what you took in. That’s how you know if you’re making money.
- Ask a good question. Try a polite question at a quiet moment. If it’s a busy time, try another day.
Business Detective: try it from the sidewalk
With a grown-up, stand outside Carter’s (or any shop on the square). No need to go in.
- Look for one minute. What are 3 things you notice?
- Who do you think shops here? What do you see that makes you say that?
- Look again. What’s one thing you missed the first time?
Finished? Print or save your Business Detective sticker.
Think about it: The maps show a drugstore on this spot in 1907, 1914 and 1926. Why might a drugstore last a long time in one spot on a town square?
Tell us what you learned: if you asked a shopkeeper something, a grown-up can send it to hello@ourtownalmanac.com (first name and age, or no name). We might share it in the newsletter.