Chelsea Drugstore

The Chelsea Drugstore was a sleek, modern travertine and brushed steel building on the corner of Royal Avenue and King's Road, Chelsea, London. It opened in 1968.^[1] Designed by architect Antony Cloughley and designer Colin Golding^[2] of GCB Associates, and inspired by Le Drugstore on Boulevard St Germain in Paris that was designed by Slavik (decorator) [fr] (Wiatscheslav Vassiliev), Chelsea Drugstore was arranged over three floors and on most days remained open for up to 16 hours. Inside customers would find bars, a chemist, newsstands, record stores and other concessions. A popular service was the 'flying squad' delivery option run by the store.^[3] Those who used this service would have their purchases delivered by hand by young ladies adorned in purple catsuits arriving on flashy motorcycles. It closed briefly in 1971 after 3 years, reopening in September 1972.^[4] Both pub and retail shops below were open until 1985.^[5] The store became a wine bar, and later a McDonald's, which permanently closed in 2025.