Old Drug & Grocery Stores and Cafes of Sulphur Murray County Oklahoma

Old Drug & Grocery Stores and Cafes of Sulphur

About the 1920's and 1930's

Contributed by George Peveto, July 2002

“Dennis, I am going to send you a copy of something I found in some old papers of my uncle Burls. It is a listing of drug stores-- grocery stores and cafe's.I don’t know when it is from but I suspect the 20's and 30's I remember some of them. Hokus Pokus grocery (cant remember where it was) City Drug store- Lewis cafe-- Piggly Wiggly grocery-Seetons drug Talley’s grocery (south east corner of 13th and Oklahoma).”

Drug Stores

• Ballew Drug Store

• City Drug Store

• Crescent Drug Store - Crescent Drug Store & Seeton Drug Store: The Crescent Drug Store was a foundational business, originally anchoring a building constructed in 1905 at the corner of West Second Street and West Muskogee Street. Over time, it underwent several name changes, becoming Shackelford-Seeton Drug Store and eventually just Seeton Drug Store. It was a popular local "meeting place" for decades. Although the business eventually closed, the building stood until it was destroyed by a tornado in 2024; remarkably, the original tiled entryway featuring the Crescent logo survived.                                                                                                                               Interior of Crescent Drug store Sulphur OK 

  Interior of Crescent Drug Store, featuring the ornate wooden cabinetry and glass display cases typical of the early 1900s.

  • Soda Fountain: Postcards from the era specifically highlight the Crescent Drug Store soda fountain, which was a central social hub.

  • Gasoline Sales: In a notable historical first for the area, the owner installed a gasoline pump in front of the store in 1914.

• Seeton Drug Store

• Sulphur Drug Store

• Woodruff Drug Store

Grocery Stores & Markets

• Ballinger Grocery

• Chaney's Grocery

• Cooper's Grocery

• Cromwell Grocery

• Flack Grocery

• Fulton Grocery

• Graham Grocery

• Hale's Grocery

• Hayes' Grocery

• Hill's Grocery

• Hokus Pokus Grocery

• Lacy Grocery

• Lawrence Grocery

• Lunsford Grocery

• McCray's Grocery

• Mace's Grocery

• R. M. Myers' Grocery

• Norris' Grocery

• O. K. Grocery

• Overstreet Grocery

• Owens' Grocery

• Park Grocery

• Harry Pennicker Grocery

• Piggly Wiggly Store

• Smith's Grocery

• Stacy Grocery

• Stout Grocery

• Sulphur Grocery

• Talley Grocery - Talley’s Grocery: While specific dates are less clear, local records place this business at the southeast corner of 13th and Oklahoma.

• Turnell Grocery

• Vernon Grocery

• Wall Grocery

• Wooley Market

• Wright's Grocery

Cafes, Eateries & Confections

• Belleview Luncheonette

• Bertie's Cafe

• Elite Cafe

• Lewis' Cafe - Lewis’ Cafe: This restaurant has a long-standing family legacy in Sulphur. It was established in 1938 by Virgil Lewis. It passed through family members over the decades—bought by Virgil’s nephew and niece-in-law, Fred and Marie Short, in 1973, and later by their son Chris in 1995. It is known for its locally raised Angus beef and traditional family atmosphere. 

  While Lewis' Cafe was established slightly later in the period (1938), it became a staple of downtown Sulphur for over 80 years.

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  Vintage street-side view of Lewis' Cafe in its early decades of operation.

• Lowry's Cafe

• Martin's Bar-B-Q

• Moseley's Cafe

• Mullin's Bar-B-Q

• O. K. Cafe

• Platt Cafe

• Powell's Cafe

• Vela & Dayton's Cafe

• Vendome Plunge & Luncheonette - Vendome Plunge & Luncheonette: The Vendome Plunge was a famous regional landmark, featuring a large swimming pool fed by spring water and a dance pavilion. It was a major social hub during the 1920s and remains one of the most photographed historic sites in the town's history. 

  The Vendome was a massive complex that included a restaurant and dance hall alongside its famous pool.

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  A 1920s view of the Vendome Plunge swimming pool and the accompanying pavilion where the luncheonette was located.

General Stores & Miscellaneous

• J. G. Henry

• Hicks' Tavern

• Hunter's Service Station

• James' Service Station

• S. & S. Variety Store

• Texas Store

• Tyler's General Store

• Mrs. Winkler's Magazine Shop

Economic Context (1920s–1930s)

The businesses on this list operated during a volatile but resilient period for Sulphur:

• The 1918 Fire & Cyclone: Just before the 1920s began, a massive fire destroyed two blocks of downtown Sulphur, including the Paragon Drug Store. This was immediately followed by a 90-mph cyclone. The rebuilding effort mandated brick construction, giving the 1920s downtown its characteristic look.

• Great Depression Resilience: Unlike many other towns, Sulphur's economy was somewhat "cushioned" during the Great Depression by the oil and sulfur industries to the northwest, as well as the influence of local businessman W.T. Burton, who helped protect residents' bank deposits.