5 and 10¢ stores were the dollar stores of the 1920s and were popular for everyday goods. McCrory’s 5 & 10¢ took the entire first floor facing the southeast corner of Franklin and Polk streets in 1927 with the motto “nothing over 10¢”. Dr. Hod Williams, offering painless tooth extractions in one minute for $1.00 provided services on the second floor. The 3-story Hampton Building they occupied was built in 1901. Situated next to the Tampa Theater, patrons could watch a matinee and shop for their goods before heading home. In 1933, McCrory Store Corporation, operating an estimated 250 stores, filed a voluntary bankruptcy petition, leading 17 state subsidiaries, including Florida’s, to follow suit.

Walgreens Drug Store moved in in 1934, opening its first Florida store here and reportedly the largest drug store in Florida. They remodeled the first floor, adding air conditioning, a separate lab for prescriptions, and a staff of trained cosmeticians. The store remained there until 1976, when they moved due to a slowdown in business along Franklin Street. The building sat empty and then had a run of restaurants and bars. In 2002, The Hub, a popular downtown heavy-pour bar, moved from its old home at 701 N Florida Ave when the First Presbyterian Church bought the building to add more parking.

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