7 Unique Things To Do In Downtown Chicago

This inconspicuous pharmacy a few miles north of downtown, where it also has a second store, has an intriguing past, dating back to a time when the prescription of medicines was very different from today. The store was opened in 1875 by a local pharmacist named Peter Merz, who would prescribe a variety of herbal medicines to relieve his customers’ ailments. But rather than call it a pharmacy, Merz followed the European tradition and named it an “apothecary”, and it soon became popular with European immigrants. Fast forward to 1982 and the store was moved to a larger building down the road, designed to resemble a turn-of-the-century apothecary, complete with a hand-carved wooden facade, tin ceilings, and oak cabinets. No longer just a one-stop-shop for natural health and classic European products, Merz is also a destination for niche fragrance, skin care, candles, men’s grooming essentials, and more, but its links to the past can still be found through the vintage apothecary jars lining the walls and the aroma of natural herbs that sifts through the air.”

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