For 76 years, two related families operated a business in Albert Lea with two names that emphasized its location in the city. One of those names was North Side Drug Store, The other name, which is still on the building at 424 N. Bridge Ave., is Northpark.

In early 1926, the North Side Drug Store, then located at 429 N. Bridge Ave., was closed. This business was in receivership and a local banker wanted it to be reopened by another pharmacist. He contacted Richard A. Schacht, who was employed at a Rochester drug store.

This banker also knew that Richard’s wife, Gladys (Thompson) Schacht, who was a nurse at Rochester’s Kahler Hospital, was born and raised north of Albert Lea. Thus, there could have been a desire by the couple to start their own business in a city with some family connections.

The Schachts purchased the business, located in the part of the city also known as New Denmark, in May 1926. Their newly acquired store was in a building with good traffic potential. It was located on the street which was in that era known as part of the Jefferson Highway (later U.S. Highway 65) and on the main route to the north.

An article in the 1988 Freeborn County Heritage book explained this store’s main assets with: “They took advantage of the highway running in front of the store by advertising their soda fountain with a large malted milk sign. This was a traffic stopper, and the soda fountain business grew, becoming well known for colossal sundaes, malts, and other fancy dishes, all at unbelievably low prices. In the early days, all the fountain syrups were made in the store, fresh chocolate syrup was made every day. They made their own Eskimo Pies and popsicles. The store was open at 8 a.m. to get the farmers’ business when they came to the (Albert Lea) Co-op Creamery located across the street, and closed when they had the last customer of the day, which was often after midnight. After the soda fountain had produced the desired traffic, gift lines and fine perfumes were added, and free gift wrapping was introduced to the area. The store name was changed to North Side Drug and Gift Shop.”

The Schachts had a daughter, Elaine, who literally grew up in her parents’ drug store. She attended Albert Lea High school, became the homecoming queen in the fall of 1944, and graduated in 1945.

During her high school years, Elaine had a boyfriend named Albert Robert “Bob” Langemo, who graduated from Albert Lea High School in 1944. He then served as a pharmacist mate second class in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Elaine R. Schacht and Bob Langemo were married on July 21, 1946. They both attended the University of Minnesota School of Pharmacy and graduated in 1950. Then they returned to Albert Lea and became partners with her parents in the drug store.

Business for this drug and gift store expanded and the two families decided to move to a new 100-by-32-foot building, with several apartments on the second floor, located across Bridge Avenue in 1954. The site of their original store was later used by several other businesses and is now part of the Security Bank Minnesota building.

This new store featured expanded gift lines, fashion jewelry, children’s clothing, the pharmacy and the still-popular soda fountain. However, within a few years the gift and merchandise displays and the addition of the Walnut Room section resulted in the end of the soda fountain with its long counter and stools.

Space again became a problem for the expanding north side business. Thus, in 1961 an addition that doubled the store’s size was added on the south and east side. This area became known as the Sibley Shop, a name based on a nearby avenue. And about this time the store’s name was changed to Northpark. The Northpark designation was also used for the pharmacy and jewelry departments or sections.

There were two entries to Northpark. One was facing Bridge Avenue; the second was on the building’s south side facing the parking lot. Near the second entry and just inside the doorway was a small circulating water fountain and pond. This “wishing well’ became a popular place, especially for the younger generation, to throw coins into the pond. From time to time, those coins would be removed and donated to a local charity.

Also, in time, the four people who owned Northpark passed away. The first to die on Sept. 11, 1988, was Gladys Schacht. Her husband, Richard A. Schacht, died on March 28, 1992. The next death came on Sept. 13, 1998, when Bob Langemo died in Rome, Italy, while on vacation. Northpark closed in 2002 and Elaine Langemo died on Jan. 27, 2004.