Turnage Drug Store Named Outstanding Legacy Business
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JACKSON – A four-generation family business in Water Valley was named the Outstanding Legacy Business/Small Community at the Mississippi Main Street Association’s 2024 Annual Awards Luncheon on June 20 in Jackson. Turnage Drug Store was nominated by the Water Valley Main Street Association (WVMSA).
The award was presented to members of the Turnage family and WVMS as 26 designated Main Street communities across the state received recognition during luncheon. Mississippi Main Street Association also marked 40 years of downtown revitalization during the luncheon with special remarks by Governor Tate Reeves, Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann, and other officials.
“2024 is a special year as we celebrate 40 years of Main Street and remember our founders and the leaders who have gotten our statewide organization to where we are today,” said Jim Miller, Mississippi Main Street Executive Director. “Main Street programs are an important driver in our state, and we honor and celebrate the local and state champions each year at our Annual Awards.”
Pharmacist Robert “Bobby” Turnage continues the traditional of a family-owned business that started well over a century ago when his great-grandfather, Wade Smith Turnage, got off a train in Water Valley in 1905 to open the business.
Third generation operator Binnie Turnage often shares the history of the business, starting at the beginning.
“The back bar with the mirror was here when Wade came in 1905. There was a drug store for 10 years before he got here, so we really don’t know how long it has been here,” Binnie Turnage noted.
Binnie’s father, Wade Watkins Turnage, graduated from Pharmacy School at Ole Miss in 1932. He worked in Jackson for five years and worked for a pharmaceutical company for another seven years before returning home to Water Valley in 1944 to run the store.
“That was the year I started first grade,” Binnie Turnage noted about the year his father came back to run the store.
Binnie Turnage graduated in 1962 with a BSPh. and came back home to the family store.
Bobby Turnage graduated from Ole Miss with a Doctor of Pharmacy in 1999. He has owned the business since 2008, continuing the family tradition with the help of his children, Erick Turnage and Karen Turnage.
“It is a privilege to serve the people of Water Valley alongside my Pop and Dad, and to continue the legacy and impact they have made.,” Karen Turnage shared on Facebook after the award was announced. “What an inspiring day in Jackson to see all the incredible work and dedication put into Main Street businesses and communities across Mississippi.”
