LaVerdiere's
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pharmacy, Retail |
| Founded | 1922 |
| Founder | Evariste LaVerdiere |
| Defunct | 1994 |
| Fate | Acquired by Rite Aid |
| Headquarters | Waterville , United States |
Area served | Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont |
| Products | Pharmaceutical products, general merchandise, toys, seasonal decorations |
Overview
LaVerdiere's Super Drug Stores, commonly referred to as LaVerdiere's, was a pharmacy chain headquartered in Waterville, Maine. At its height, the business operated over 70 outlets across small communities in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Beyond pharmaceutical products, the stores also offered a range of general merchandise, including toys and seasonal decorations for Halloween and Christmas. During the 1980s, select LaVerdiere's stores featured an arcade known as Action Family Arcade, with 42 such arcades established throughout that decade.
Acquisition and Market Changes
In 1994, the company was acquired by Rite Aid as part of the latter’s strategic expansion into Northern New England. Stephen LaVerdiere, then president of LaVerdiere's, highlighted the repeal of state blue laws as a significant challenge in competing against larger national retailers:
Our stores were specifically designed to be 5,000 sq. ft. so that we would be able to remain open on Sunday. Any store larger than that was not permitted to stay open on Sunday. In that way, we were able to bring in business seven days a week. When that law was repealed, we found ourselves competing on Sunday with mass-merchandisers as well as big supermarkets.[1]
History and Legacy
Founded by Evariste LaVerdiere in 1922 on Main Street in Waterville, Maine, the company began as a newsstand before evolving into a soda fountain and eventually expanding into a drugstore.
Following the acquisition, many former LaVerdiere's locations continue to operate under Walgreens—the successor to Rite Aid in Maine—maintaining the retail footprint established by LaVerdiere's.
Recent Developments
In 2023, Rite Aid, which inherited LaVerdiere’s operations, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[2] Subsequently, on May 5, 2025, Rite Aid filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time within two years. The company reported assets and liabilities ranging between $1 billion and $10 billion and attributed its financial difficulties to factors such as debt burdens, heightened competition, and inflationary pressures.[3]
In popular culture
LaVerdiere's, particularly noted for its somewhat notorious Halloween merchandise section, was vividly depicted in Stephen King's novella The Sun Dog:
LaVerdiere's Super Drug Store resembled more a fancy five-and-dime than a typical drugstore… [It] stocked everything that the old Ben Franklin stores once offered, but under the harsh glow of Maxi-Glo fluorescent lighting, each item seemed to possess an intense, almost frantic sparkle. There was a notions aisle, two aisles dedicated to first-aid products and remedies, and an aisle filled with video and audio tapes—both blank and pre-recorded. A lengthy magazine rack transitioned into paperbacks, while one digital cash register displayed lighters and another showcased watches (a third register was concealed in the dim corner where the pharmacist worked in solitude). The toy aisle was largely overtaken by Halloween candy (though after Halloween, toys would return and eventually expand to occupy two entire aisles as the countdown to Christmas relentlessly progressed).