Long-time member Hills Drug Store proud to help create a better business community

Hills Drug Store is an iconic landmark in Portage la Prairie with a

fascinating past. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RHONDA KITCHEN. Hill’s Drug Store co-owner and pharmacist Rhonda Kitchen with an appreciative customer.

By Lisa Kopochinski

This January will mark the 121st anniversary of Hills Drug Store, a well-known landmark to many who have lived in this area for generations.

On January 1, 1901, Jim Kelly Hill purchased the property on the corner of Gaddy Street (now known as 2nd Street NE)

Hill’s Drug Store 200 Saskatchewan Ave. E. 204-857-4631 Hill’s Clinic Pharmacy 103, 140 9th Street S.E. 204-239-1368

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and built the present two-story clay brick building. Featuring Romanesque style, it includes heavily articulated arched windows separated by pilasters, diaper detailing around the arches, and labyrinth-free mouldings.

Since that time, Hills East Drug Store (currently known as Hills Drug Store) has had three owner partnerships up until 2018, when a duo partnership was formed between current owners Rhonda Kitchen and Michelle Leslie.

“In 1992, Hills Drug Store established a pharmacy in the new Portage Clinic as a part of the team of medical professionals creating a single-user space,” says Kitchen, who is also a pharmacist. “That store, known colloquially as Hills Clinic Pharmacy, was the first expansion since losing Hills West to fire in 1976. The Clinic Pharmacy was updated and remodelled when the Portage Clinic expanded in 2018.”

Today, with both Kitchen and Leslie residing in the neighborhood, their business provides amenities to an array of clients and creates loyalty by offering personable and professional service.

Their clientele includes not only local residents, but also those from smaller rural towns, in addition to Hutterite colonies who utilize Hills Drug Store for their medical and commercial needs.

“This includes pharmaceutical health care, over-thecounter medications, injections, health and beauty, sundries, cards and gifts, diabetic aids, smoking cessation, diet programs, free delivery and home medical equipment,” Kitchen says.

“Many people also seek practical knowledge, assistance with drug management, and privacy for all their health care concerns.”

Chamber of Commerce Membership

Hills Drug Store has been a member of the Portage la Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce for 90 years (since 1932). Kitchen says being a member means showing loyalty to the community that Hills Drug Store is a such an integral part of.

“It’s important to be part of the solution to creating a better business community,” she says. “Membership shows the community that Hills Drug Store supports locals and hopes that, for the same reason, others will support us.”

She adds that provided there’s a population that continues to age and requires personal health care, there will be a need for Hill’s Drug Store and Hill’s Clinic Pharmacy.

“We will grow with them and provide the services that are important to them.”

The Great Depression and Fire: Part of the Drugstore’s History

In 1902, a year after Jim Kelly Hill purchased the property on the site of Hills Drug Store, the Portage la Prairie Tax Roll indicated an assessed value of $8,300 for the lot, the building, and personal property combined.

In 1918, Hill bought the business of J.A. Dunkin and, in 1927, purchased the Fairbairn Block and the business of R. L. Davidson. Hill’s son George was hired as the manager on the new Hills West Drugstore located in the Fairbairn Block. However, in 1928, a disastrous fire destroyed the Fairbairn Block and the Merchants Hotel. The onset of the Great Depression set back chances to rebuild.

In 1938, George Hill built the Mayfair Hotel on the old site and incorporated a new Hills West Drug Store as part of the new development. In December 1976, fire destroyed the properties, and Cliff Bagrie and Charlie Oliver, who had been working at Hills West at the time, moved to Hills East to continue a new ownership of the company, as George Hill had retired.