City News to be replaced by retro drug store!

The neon-esque City News sign as it appeared in 2019 - Optopolis

If you remember Cheyenne's City News store, chances are you'll remember the popcorn or some other aspect of that store; it is finally getting replaced once again, this time by a retro drug store!

Some Background of the Boyd / Citizen's Bank Building

The Citizen's Bank Building was built in 1911, only three years after Boyd's Cigar Store was established in 1908 which opened in a nearby retail space.

For years, [the Citizen's Bank Building] was the tallest office building. Doctors, dentists, and lawyers kept the offices full upstairs. ~ Historic Downtown Walking Tour

According to Cheyenne's Historic Walking Tour booklet (PDF Download), this Citizen's Bank was one of many banks to go broke during the 1924 recession.

view of the Carey Avenue edge of the Boyd Building in 2019 - Optopolis

Best Hometown News (Link is dead; you can view the referenced article on the WaybackMachine) shares that the Citizen's Bank building was purchased by H.N. Boyd in 1925, renaming it to the Boyd building and moving the cigar store to the first level of the building in the process. Also according to the article, City News and Pipe Shop occupied the lower floor of the Boyd Building since 1969.

In 2019, things took a sharp turn for City News; in February, it was announced that the store would be closing, as mentioned on Wyoming News Now, apparently "due to the precipitous drop in the sales of print periodicals and books."

 

A view inside the window, looking over the counter of City News after closing in 2019 - Optopolis

Kentucky-based restaurant takes over

In late 2020, it was announced that a new bakery, The Gathering Bakery II based out of Radcliff, KY, would be taking over the City News space.


It opened on February 10th, 2021 with a refresh of the inside of the space, as seen in the first day post on the Cheyenne DDA Facebook Page.

Unfortunately, they quietly closed their Cheyenne store around May of 2021 as talked about on 101.9 KingFM, once again leaving the space vacant... that is until recently.

New Life coming in 2022 as Cheyenne City Drug and The Boardroom

By June 2022, it became known that a new tenant was coming, with Cheyenne City Drug - Pharmacy and Mercantile as well as The Boardroom labels posted in the windows and social media accounts for each name (see @citydrugcheyenne and @theboardroomcheyenne both on Instagram) sharing photos as progress has been made on the space.

Various perspectives of Cheyenne City Drug and The Boardroom -Optopolis

According to Mat Murdoch on 101.9 KingFM, they plan to have many of the classic features of retro drug stores... a soda fountain, ice cream... Oh, don't forget the Popcorn!

As of June 13th, they haven't opened yet (their social media reflecting this in their bios), but they are getting intensely close, with displays already set up in the City Drug windows!

What's the first thing you are gonna get from City Drug/The Boardroom? A yummy snack? A vaccine!? Let us know in the comments!

Location: Cheyenne, WY, USA

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