Bair Drug & Hardware

Sign read: Bair the Druggist
Pierce County Library archive

In 1895 W. L. Bair opened his modern pharmacy in the coastal town of Steilacoom Washington that sits on Puget Sound.

Bair known as “Cub” to his friends was a meticulous man. His store reflected his attention to detail. His customers could buy medicine and hardware. Many customers ordered a refreshing treat at his soda fountain.

Green River pop unmixed

Cub made sure that his store’s potbelly stove was always stoked. This warm environment always welcomed his cliental including a group of faithful retirees who played checkers in his store.

When Cub died many felt he had trouble giving up his beloved pharmacy for his spirit has haunted this building ever since. People state his ghost still puts in a full day’s work.

When his old store was converted to a café it is said Cub even tried to change with the times. But now his attempt at perfection suffered.

The café’s new equipment often stumped Cub. Employees would find bagels mysteriously burned and the café’s new electrical equipment in the soda fountain was sometimes found broken.

This was just the beginning. Various witnesses reported other strange happenings. One employee saw a group of sauce bottles fly off a shelf. These bottles did not drop to the floor immediately but instead flew across the room.

Café patrons report seeing coffee pots spin and doors swing open. Almost everyone who enters the café state the lights above sway back and forth.

Business today is called Bair Bistro

When a museum was added to the café many felt this mellowed Cub’s ghost. They felt the familiar antiques, such as medicine bottles, old hardware and a line of postal box slots attached to the rear wall made Cub feel more at home.

The activity settled down to the point that people began to believe Cub’s ghost had finally moved on. But this does not appear to be the case.

As recent as 2005, people standing near the postal boxes have felt someone standing close behind them--only to discover no one there. Others have heard distinctive humming.

Several visitors state they felt someone breathing down their necks and then the sound of someone wheezing. Cub’s presence has also been felt in the bank next door.

This old building is located at the intersection of Lafayette and Wilkes.