The Apothecary was founded in 1792 by a gentleman by the
name of Edward Stabler. This family business was operational for an amazing 141
years. The Leadbeater name came later in the 1830s when another family member took
over the business. The company was involved with retailing, wholesaling, and
manufacturing during its long run.
Exterior of the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum |
Tours are available of this wondrous building (which used to
be much more extensive, if memory serves, there were 11 buildings in all).
Reservations are not necessary, and visitor walk-ins for tours are welcomed. You enter the building in the gift shop where tickets can be purchased.
Once the tour begins you're led into the room where everyday business transactions took place for well over a century. This main store area is where people used to come in to place orders. As you walk into the shop you're immediately transformed to an era long gone by.
Once the tour begins you're led into the room where everyday business transactions took place for well over a century. This main store area is where people used to come in to place orders. As you walk into the shop you're immediately transformed to an era long gone by.
This is what behind one of the shop's counters looked like
from a customer's perspective in this long-running business.
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If you are one who is riveted by "old"
items, you will be astounded when you see what's on display. The
amount of detail, original layout, materials, working tools, products and
everything in between that remains is astonishing. Basically, the family had
closed up shop in 1933 when it ran into financial problems, filed for
bankruptcy and left everything as it was when they locked the doors.
An image taken in the main room of the apothecary shop. Back
in the day customers could buy a range of products from medicines to perfumes
and many items in between.
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There are so many original and historical pieces, equipment,
tools, ingredients, paperwork and other valuable aspects of the business still
in existence. The main shop still has a lot of the original
glasswork located on the displays and visitors are asked not to touch the
delicate glass and mirrors.
Years ago everything was constructed with glass, and it is
fun to see familiar brands in old-fashioned bottles
rather than the plastic we see today.
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Additionally, there are items such as an
original Singer sewing machine, eyeglasses and colonial-era baby bottles on
display. In another of the original glass display cases, there are
documents exhibited. One of them is an original request for an item Martha
Washington had ordered. (From what guides have described, there are many original documents in
existence; the Statler-Leadbeater family obviously kept fantastic records).
There are also orders from Robert E. Lee and many other Alexandrians from the
18th and 19th century.
After your guide finishes telling you the history on the
first floor, you'll be invited to go upstairs and see the rooms located on the
second floor. During its operational years, this floor would have been off
limits to customers. If you thought the first floor was amazing, you're in for
a treat once you get upstairs. There are two rooms upstairs. The first room you
see is mostly empty (at least as of my last visit),
but it does contain an early elevator, which consists of a lift that comes down
from the ceiling. There is a door on the floor that opens and you can see the
first floor gift shop. There is protective glass there today placing a barrier
between the two floors, but years ago this was an active lift.
The second room contains the production space the
apothecaries used. In this room are tools, equipment, ingredients and too many
fabulous items to name. Kids are immediately drawn to the two drawers labeled
"dragon's blood" and I was drawn to the stacks of drawers containing
every possible ingredient imaginable. Some of the drawers even contain
ingredients of a time gone by, a couple of the drawers are typically opened for visitors to peer inside.
When you visit upstairs, you truly feel as if you've stepped back in time. |
This image was taken upstairs. You can see how original everything looks. |
Desk with originals placed on it on the second floor where day to day operations took place. |
If you want to visit the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary, the
tour hours are pretty consistent through the year, but there are a couple of
seasonal variations. It is a good idea to check times before visiting.
Tours are offered every half hour. Admission rates are reasonable. Adults are $5,
children ages 5-12 are $3 and the younger tots are free. If you're in
Alexandria, this 30-minute tour is well worth a visit.
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