The news has been slowly trickling in, and for many of us, it hits a little harder than just another store closing. Rite Aid, a staple in many communities, will reportedly shut the doors on its Vons shopping center location on Tamarack Avenue the first week of July 2025.
While the broader implications for pharmaceuticals and jobs are certainly significant, there’s a particular pang of sadness here in Carlsbadistan, especially for anyone who’s ever been a middle schooler, or raised one.
With the Rite Aid closure, we’re not just losing a pharmacy. We’ve lost something far more precious, something woven into the fabric of Carlsbad youth culture: Thrifty Ice Cream.
For generations of Carlsbad kids, that Thrifty counter wasn’t just a place to grab a scoop. It was the place. It was the post-game ritual, the celebratory stop after a good test, the commiseration station after a tough one. It was where friendships were solidified over double scoops of chocolate malted crunch, where victories were relived, and where the simple joy of childhood was savored, one inexpensive, oddly-squared scoop at a time.
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