By Miles Layton
Random thoughts…
A tribute to Jim Blount, Sr., prayers for West Virginia and photos from Maine.
First, a good friend sent me this photo of Jim Blount, Sr. – congratulations, Jim.
The North Carolina Board of Pharmacy recently paid tribute to this Edenton institution with a resolution honoring his 60 years of service as a pharmacist — a deserving accolade to a career built on showing up for his community, year after year, with a smile and a steady hand.
Why cover this story?
Blount’s is not just any pharmacy, but a hometown institution. They care about their customers and know you by name – that’s rare these days.
Located at 323 South Broad Street, walk through the front door of Blount’s and the first thing you’ll notice isn’t the pharmacy counter — it’s the soda fountain. Installed in the 1920s, it still churns out scoops of ice cream and pours fresh-squeezed lemonades, limeades, and orangeades, just as it has for generations.
And you can buy a Pepsi and other bottled drinks, chips and a cone of ice cream there – huge, HUGE scoops. I also recommend the orangeades — very good on a hot day.
In times past, old men, leading citizens, used to sit in the corner nearest the window and talk as men do. More often than not, as you’re getting your prescription filled, you may know someone or recognize a familiar face. Mr. Blount will certainly say hello.
This is one of those simple joys that makes Edenton feel like home.
Moreover, whether you need your prescription or to pick up a bottle of medicine off the counter, there’s not a long wait at Blount’s. Other places, after waiting in line for 20 minutes only to find out that some medical form or whatever isn’t filled out in triplicate, you may have to wait in line again.
Hero’s backstory: Blount arrived in Edenton in 1969 after a stint as a hospital pharmacist in Greenville. He didn’t waste much time getting involved in his new hometown. Soon after settling in, Jim began helping out part-time at the local hospital and took a job at what was then known as Hollowell’s Drug Store — a small-town pharmacy that would eventually bear his name and become a beloved fixture of the community.
Today, Jim, now 83 years young and still working hard, shares the counter with his daughter, Jenny Williams, and together they carry forward a legacy that now stretches back more than 100 years — a family tradition of care and service that has outlasted trends, chain competitors, and changing times with warmth.
Conversations I’ve had with Jim over the years — he enjoys his work serving friends, families and neighbors in the community — that’s probably the secret to his long success. And he’s happy — that’s a big thing too. Dedicated, deserving — yep.
The pharmacy is part of Mutual Drug, a cooperative founded around 1950 by a group of independent pharmacists who had the vision to build their own wholesale supply network rather than go it alone, according to Main Street Edenton.
That cooperative has since grown into a strong regional network, serving pharmacies across six states — North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Georgia. For Blount’s, membership means next-morning deliveries from Durham and the kind of reliable service that helps keep costs manageable for customers in a small town like Edenton.
In other news, we’re set to get some rain in the days ahead. Storm coming through. Thursday, July 23, will be mostly cloudy with a high near 80 and a low around 70.
Be prepared for scattered thunderstorms throughout the day, with heavy rainfall at times and an 85% chance of rain. Winds will shift from southwest to northwest around 9–12 mph.
Mountain towns of West Virginia are suffering, particularly in the central part of the state, but elsewhere in Mountaineers’ country. Click this video to see the flooding in Weston, WVa. I’ve been through Weston a time or two, maybe run a 5K there once.
In other travel news, Karen Murray of Edenton sent me these photos of Maine. Though I’ve never been there, I’ve always been fascinated with Maine. Thanks for the photos of Belfast, ME. On my bucket list — either be a shrimper in Coastal Carolina or a waterman in Maine.
Click to enlarge photos
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