Dean Reavie’s dream became Via Lido Drugs

Gay Wassall-Kelly

The Via Lido Drugs of today is much like the three-level “dream

drugstore” that opened in 1961 offering friendly service and

extraordinary products.

Lido Isle’s Joey Bishop, of Rat Pack fame, said the store goes

above and beyond.

“One time, all my prescriptions were filled and I called Bill, one

of the pharmacists, and asked if they might have a milk shake? No,

they didn’t but not long after the call they did deliver some ice

cream,” Bishop said.

The three-level drugstore was the creation of pharmacist Dean

Reavie. Reavie, born in Canada, moved from Montreal to UC San

Francisco to complete his doctorate in pharmacy.

“After I graduated in 1956, I decided that I liked the climate

better in California than Montreal,” Reavie said. “So instead of

going back to my job, my wife of four years, Marjorie, and I drove

down the coast of California and ended up in Newport Beach. We have

happily been here ever since.”

Reavie went to work for Vincent’s Lido Drugs (corner of Newport

Boulevard and Via Lido in Lido Village) as chief pharmacist. In 1959,

he purchased Loni Vincent’s shares of the drugstore and joined two

partners, Bob Ramsay and Max Pellitier.

The drugstore was one of those “modern” buildings built after

World War II. Reavie offered a full-service pharmacy and related

items, stocked sundries, gifts, cosmetics, jeweler, liquor

department, beach gear and even a 15 to 20 seat, state-of-the-art

soda fountain and grill.

Reavie was proud of his new undertaking. Three weeks into his

excitement, one of his new employees helped set up the grill about 7

a.m. for the morning crowd. She turned on all eight burners of the

grill -- usually only one was needed -- and before they knew what

happened, the kitchen caught on fire. Everyone ran outside and waited

for the Newport Beach Fire Department to put out the flames.

“About 10 a.m., I was standing with the crowd when the fire

department shouted orders to Mason Siler, Lido Theater manager, to

move his car out of the alley (between the theater and the

drugstore),” said John Blaich of Corona del Mar. “They thought the

fire was out, but it had silently crept up through the exhaust hood,

into the attic, melting the solder on the vent igniting boxes and

papers that were stored up there.”

The fire burst through the roof, burning down Vincent’s Lido

Drugs.

Reavie was able to salvage most of his prescription files, so he

picked up his spirits and built a make-shift shack on the same

corner. He and two loyal employees carried on business in this

temporary store for about 18 months. During those 18 months, Reavie

was given an opportunity to build another drugstore on the other side

of the Lido Theater.

The Griffith Co. and Reavie designed the three-level drugstore:

lower floor for sundries, photo department, greeting cards and gifts;

middle floor for cosmetics, costume jewelry and gifts; and the top

floor for the full-service pharmacy plus health supports and packaged

remedies, much as it is today. Reavie’s dream store was 4,000 square

feet at the ground level, but the split level technique provided over

5,100 square feet of selling space.

“In 1961, I was buying out my partners and opened my ‘dream

store,’ Via Lido Drugs,” said Reavie with a smile.

A Hollywood star, Nanette Fabray of Lido, cut the ribbon. A year

after the store opened, it was chosen by the Brand Name Foundation of

America as the Brand Name Retailer of the year. This was quite an

honor and Reavie was presented with a plaque at the Americana Hotel

in New York City.

In 1988, Reavie retired, leaving his legacy to the community

through Via Lido Drugs. Today, Reavie is a member of the

Newport-Balboa Rotary Club, an usher at St. Andrews Church and

teaches computers to the tutors in the literacy program at the

Newport Beach main library.

* Do you know of a person, place or event that deserves a

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