The century-old teakwood furniture at the Pune Drug Stores, virtually a heritage landmark of the city, has not changed since 1908 when the store came into existence. It has been maintained and polished over the decades. The checkered flooring has stayed on too.

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Visit this famous shop on MG Road and you’ll find on display beautiful old bottles that were used for storing drugs in the past.

The old safe still sits proudly in the store. What is clearly evident is that the Soares family that owns it has consciously retained its legacy, literally and figuratively.

The Pune Drug Stores was launched on April 1, 1908 by pharmacist Michael Braganza, the grandfather of Raymond Soares and the great grandfather of his daughter Sarina Soares. Initially, the store was a small space, which expanded in size and stature in a short period due to the hard work and the excellent quality of service provided by Braganza. The initial customers were the British and the store initially housed toiletries, cosmetics and the likes. At the time, customers would walk in, choose all that they needed and pay Braganza. There were no counters then. The store has also been dispensing ointments and skin creams since its inception and to this date is one of the few stores in Pune to dispense medicines on prescriptions.

Dispensing refers to combining different drugs/medicines/ointments as per the prescription into a mix. The store has, to this date, maintained its 103-year-old dispensing book dating from May 1, 1908.

Raymond recalls the days of the Raj when the British residents of Pune were the primary patrons. The governor, who would spend six months in Pune, was a regular customer. “Shah Nawaz Bhutto, the grandfather of Benazir Bhutto, was our regular customer as well and would regularly come down to buy his prescriptions,” says Raymond.

After Independence, the store maintained its customers and developed new ones. Raymond says the store has been catering to generations of families who have been regular customers. Amidst its heritage look, the one modern thing in the store is its computerised billing system. The store also maintains old-world discipline and opens on the dot at 9 am and closes at 8 pm sharp.

Raymond says the store has stood the test of time as it has always stressed on quality. The store is careful about where it sources its stock from, due to numerous instances of spurious medicines in the market. “We don’t compromise on quality,” say Raymond and Sarina.

“Some of our customers do not mind waiting for two days, if the stock is not immediately available. It is our commitment and this dedication of our customers that has helped us stay in the business and grow with the changing times, while retaining our traditional ethos,” he says.