St. Paul Corner Drug will be hosting a “retirement party” for its old-fashioned soda fountain from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The fountain’s final ice cream scoops will be served at the event.

Owner John Hoeschen said the fountain is closing due to financial pressure in the pharmacy industry and a lack of physical space in the building at the corner of Snelling and St. Clair avenues.

The fountain has been out of service since October 2020, when the independent pharmacy needed room to provide vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. After removing the fountain, the drug store will rearrange to maximize its 1,200-square-foot space for vaccination services.

“It (the fountain) wasn’t a profit center, it was more of a community builder,” Hoeschen said. “We had to ask, ‘If we reopen the fo

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