Perry Chicago gets a remake

ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. - The excitement of chain drug store retailing isn't dead; it's alive and well in a small suite of storefront offices outside Chicago. The offices - and the Perry drug store undergoing transformation next door - seem charged with the entrepreneurial spirit that all merchants crave in their heart of hearts.

At the center of the storm are the owner-managers who spearheaded the purchase of 16 former Perry drug stores Oct. 25, marking Perry's exit from Chicago and the creation of a new niche player in the nation's second-largest drug store arena. The deal also gave two longtime drug store operators, Fred Barney and partner Bob Cartwright, a long-awaited entree back into the business. They seem to relish the chance.

"There is a niche role for a small chain in a big market," Barney said. "With 16 stores,...