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Fastco Drug Opens
Tribune photo published July 1, 1950

Fastco Drug Store occupied the building at 411 Kellogg, the site occupied by Fareway Grocery from 1939 until 1950 when it was remodeled for Fastco Drug.  Fareway Grocery moved to the newly constructed building at the northeast corner of Fifth Street and Kellogg.  This building at 411 Kellogg has been home to the Salvation Army and is now the Bicycle Surplus.  From 1964 until 1992, Fastco Drug Store operated from the location on the north side of Main Street just east of the Burnett intersection.  Fastco is a contraction of Fareway Store Company.

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Ames's first and one of the state's few self-service drug stores is not in the midst of its formal opening.  Ben Sorenson, formerly manager of a similar type store at Boone, is manager of the Fastco drug store at 417 Kellogg.  Formerly associated with the Joe Lowry and Frank Theis in the Ames Rexall drug store, Mr. Sorenson has been in the self-service drug business for 10 years and formerly operated his own store at Algona, Ia.  The Sorensons have purchased a home at 3303 Woodland.  They have two grown children, Ben F., Jr., of Santa Monica, Calif., and Doris Jane Brandow of Fort Dodge, Ia.  Since Feb. 15 Mr. Sorenson has been engaged in supervising the construction and remodeling of the new store and buying merchandise.  A registered pharmacist himself, Mr. Sorenson is being assisted by John Quinn, formerly of the Quinn Drug at Boone.  Henry Johnson, also a registered pharmacist, is in charge of the prescription department.  He formerly was associated with the Wilson Drug and Boone and has purchased a home at 1020 Harding.

Fastco Drug employee, Rose Daniels

Full page advertisement in the June 28, 1950, issue of the Ames Daily Tribune