Gessler Drug Co. to leave Normandie and open two new stores

It looks like Wal-Mart's possible move to Normandie Center at Central and Woodlawn is forcing at least one longtime business to leave earlier than planned.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, says Hal Schwarz, president of Gessler Drug Co., who hopes to open two new stores after moving out of Normandie in August.

Schwarz was manager of Gessler when it moved to Normandie in 1965.

"It wasn't that long ago," he says. "I still see people I saw that first year."

But a while back, he decided to go month-to-month on his lease instead of renewing it.

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This story was originally published July 14, 2009 at 3:04 PM with the headline "Gessler Drug Co. to leave Normandie and open two new stores."