JERSEYVILLE - David Wiseheart has had a dream for several years to re-open the old Kirby’s Drug Store location with a historical twist: a old-time soda fountain/prescription shop.

Wiesheart purchased the building at 104 South St. in Jerseyville in 2007 and has tried to put it back the way the old Kirby’s was inside. Kirby’s closed in 1983, Wiseheart said, and since that time there have been several businesses there and it was subdivided, but he has restored it back to its old look.

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It has been a labor of love for the Jersey man and he continues to seek investors and a way of fulfilling his dream. Recently he has been working with the Jersey County Business Association and S.C.O.R.E., among others.

“My thoughts were to turn it into an old-fashioned soda fountain lunch counter with the appearance of a turn-of-the-century drug store,” he said. “Kirby’s moved here in 1922 and it was remodeled in the 1930s and included a soda fountain. I have tried to capture the look and feel of the 1930s drug store/soda fountain with my plans.”

The entrepreneur said he sees this being a very positive thing for Jerseyville and said he is open-minded to the possibilities with the location.

“I will have to have investors or some partners to help at this point,” he said.

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Wiseheart is not opposed to setting up a Go Fund Me campaign but said he would need help with that.

Wiseheart has antique decor and even pharmacy products that go all the way to the 1920s that would create the right ambiance for the type of business he has thought to establish today.

“Kirby’s was such a popular place in Jerseyville history,” Wiseheart said. “I still remember coming after church with my mom and dad drinking a coke, while they talked to people they knew. I have a photo of me sitting on my grandfather’s knee at the soda fountain at Kirby’s. It was home away from home for many people. Some people even proposed or met at Kirby’s. I have spoken to many and heard their stories that came from relatives.

“I am hoping to bring something like this back and help bring back some of the old memories and create some new ones.”

“It’s in all of me,” he said to complete his almost 10-year dream. “I really want to see this become a reality.”

For more information, Emil kirbys_fountain@yahoo.com.

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