Katz Drug Store was a regional chain of pharmacies in the Midwestern United States.
History
In 1914, brothers Ike and Mike Katz opened two drug stores in Kansas City, Missouri that focused on low-cost branding, and they quickly grew to 65 stores in 5 states. At their peak, they generated over $100 million in annual sales and employed over 3,000 people. Self-service chain stores became more popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s, so Katz began losing market share. Katz sold itself in 1971 to Skaggs Drug Centers, which eventually merged with Osco Drug, which eventually merged with CVS Pharmacy.[1]
Katz Drug Store sit-ins
Katz Drugstores followed local segregation practices, meaning non-whites were often denied service at lunch counters. In 1948, Edna Griffin and her family were denied service at a Katz Drugstore in Des Moines, Iowa,[2] which led to sit-ins and protests. In 1949 the Iowa Supreme Court determined