The first Bartell Drugs store opened in 1890, when George Bartell bought the Lake Washington Pharmacy located in what became the Leschi neighborhood. The Bartell Drug Company incorporated in 1904 and moved to downtown Seattle. It expanded in the early 20th century, coming to include a candy factory and photo lab in addition to pharmacy locations. The company remained under Bartell family ownership until 2020, when Rite Aid bought the company. In 2025, CVS Pharmacy bought the remaining Bartell locations and either closed or rebranded the stores.

This image shows the Bartell Drugs building that sat at the junction of Pine Street, Fourth Avenue, and Westlake Avenue. The building featured a second floor diner, shown here with customers visible through the windows. Bartell Drugs occupied the ground level, here with a window display of toys and games for sale. The Bartell building was demolished to make way for Westlake Center, which now occupies this site.

Caption information source: "Bartell Drug Company," by Phil Dougherty, HistoryLink, retrieved from https://historylink.org/File/9302