Perry Drug Stores

Ghost Corp Apparel — resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.

Founded by pharmacist Jack A. Robinson in 1957, Perry Drug Stores began in Pontiac, Michigan, and grew from a neighborhood prescription counter into a formidable Midwest retail chain. The name came from its original Perry Street location—not from a boardroom committee discovering “brand synergy.” By 1965, it had enough locations to qualify as a drugstore chain.

Waterford became Perry’s corporate home as the business expanded. The company went public in 1973, widened its assortment beyond prescriptions, and in 1976 opened a combination drug, auto, and home-center format. Perry stores brought together pharmacy goods, health and beauty aids, household basics, automotive parts, sporting goods, pets, and even sailboats. Subtle? Absolutely not. Memorable? You bet.

By late 1994, Perry operated 224 stores and was Michigan’s largest drugstore chain. Rite Aid agreed to acquire the Waterford-based company for about $132 million in December 1994; the transaction was completed in 1995. Perry stores were subsequently converted to Rite Aid, ending a locally born retail identity that had colored Michigan errands for nearly four decades.

Our Perry Drug Stores collection celebrates the redcoat-era spirit of a chain where prescriptions, polish, pet supplies, and improbable retail ambition could occupy the same trip. It is a tribute to Michigan shopping, giant store aisles, and the magnificent confidence of selling almost everything short of a small moon.