Caring for Your Health Since 1927

The information presented here comes from Jack Sandleben, retired pharmacist and a previous owner of the business.  Thanks go to Jack for taking the time to share the history of Sandleben Pharmacy.

In the early 1920s, Jack’s father, Gilbert Sandleben, worked the soda fountain for prominent Evansville pharmacist and businessman H.A. Woods.  One day, Gilbert saw the pharmacist working at the back of the store and noticed he was able to sit down for lunch.  After deciding he would like to have a well-paying job like that, Gilbert went off for training in Macon, Georgia for 3 months. After completing his training, he took his boards in Louisville, and passed them on his second or third attempt.  Gilbert returned to Evansville to work for Mr. Woods at one of his pharmacies.

Mr. Woods was known for promoting the growth of pharmacy and mentored some of his pharmacists, encouraging them to start their own businesses.  Gilbert and H.A. scouted the neighborhoods and came upon a suitable location for a pharmacy just north of Deaconess Hospital, at the corner of Harriet and Oregon, where a building was for sale.  Gilbert rented the building, and approached local drug wholesaler Charles Leich and Co., who loaned him $100-$200 worth of merchandise to open the store.  They only asked that Gilbert repay them “whenever he could.”  No contracts, just a gentleman’s agreement.  Sandleben Pharmacy opened in August of 1927. 

Jack’s recollection of the pharmacy in 1927 was sketchy, given he was five years old at the time.  He remembers there was a horse trough in front of the store, and that he fell in it while playing.  In 1929, the stock market crashed, but the store survived.  Gilbert and his brother Clarence kept the store open through tough times.  Jack recalls one day his father told him gross sales were 10 cents, with a profit of a penny.  Gilbert and Clarence bought and split a loaf of bread with the profit.  The store survived through the flood that devastated much of Evansville in 1937.  Flood waters advanced near the store, but the business never closed and prescription deliveries continued.

Jack recalls long hours of work for his father.  Gilbert and Clarence staffed the store seven days a week, from 8 AM to 10 PM, only closing on Christmas Day.  The pharmacy at times served as many as five nursing homes, provided prescription delivery service, and even had an after-hours prescription service.  Jack had gone to college in 1939 and took his boards in 1943.  Soon after, he was drafted by the Navy for service in World War II.  In May 1945, while Jack was in the Navy, his father passed away.  Jack’s mother and younger brother Don kept the business open with the use of part-time pharmacists.  When Jack returned from the Navy, he returned to the family business, which he worked with his brother Don and Uncle Clarence.  Jack and Don typically worked 60-70 hours per week, and continued to provide nursing home, delivery, and after-hours service.

The pharmacy stayed in the care of the Sandleben family until 1988, when Don passed away.  Jack retired, and after a period of time, Don’s family sold the pharmacy to the current owner, John Stratman.

In late 2002, construction of a new facility began on an adjacent lot behind the pharmacy.  In October 2003, the business moved from the converted house where the pharmacy had occupied 2000 square feet, to the new building where the pharmacy now fills nearly 8000 square feet.  The new building houses the pharmacy department, has ample out-front sales space, and is home to a café that has become a thriving spot for a hot meal in the neighborhood.  The pharmacy department employs a ScriptPro SP200 robot to support the growing prescription volume and keeps with tradition by providing delivery service, service to nursing homes and hospice, with after-hours service to nursing home and hospice patients.  The pharmacists don’t typically work the sort of hours that Jack, Don, or Gilbert did, but are just as proud to serve the community under the Sandleben name.

August 2007 marked 80 years of continuous operation at this location in a quiet neighborhood in central Evansville.  The pharmacy filled its five-millionth prescription on December 14, 2007, and has started work on the next million prescriptions.  The same philosophies that have kept Sandleben Pharmacy a vibrant business through the years remain and will continue to be a cornerstone of our commitment to our customers.

Send mail to webmaster@sandlebenpharmacy.com with questions or comments about this website.

Last modified: 01/31/2011.