Bartell Drugs and the state of Washington have grown up together since 1890, when a 21-year-old pharmacist from Kansas named George H. Bartell decided to buy the Lake Washington Pharmacy in Seattle’s Central District. Just a few months earlier, Washington had officially become our nation’s 42nd state.

The young Bartell could have only dreamed that someday his little pharmacy would one day become the oldest family-owned drugstore chain in the country, and that his family name would represent one of the Puget Sound’s greatest success stories. Bartell had a short list of priorities when he started his business. He wanted to help his customers stay healthy and to keep them coming back for more by offering a great selection as well as what we have come to call “Red Vest Service.“