Historic downtown building has seen many changes over the years
SPRINGFIELD, MO. – On a hot summer’s day in August, I had the pleasure of meeting with Nicole Edwards in the original ‘Pharmacy Room’ at Gailey’s Downtown Café. Nicole and her husband, Ethan, are joint partners with two other families, the Wagner’s and the Rose’s, that own the infamous Gailey’s Café on historic downtown Walnut Street. The Edwards’ began taking on ownership of Gailey’s around five years ago, pre-covid. Interestingly, the restaurant came out virtually unscathed from the world-wide pandemic, which began in 2020. Gailey’s has always been a dine-in restaurant; however, during the height of Covid, many restaurants were forced to transition to take-out services only. This prompted the downtown historic restaurant to begin work on the creation of a to-go ordering platform to handle takeout orders, which have become very popular since the pandemic.
Gailey’s is known in Springfield for its longevity and colorful history. It was originally a pharmacy/drug store owned by Joe and Beulah Gailey. According to a recent article by Richard Crabtree, “Joe clerked at Denton’s Rexall Drug Store on South Street in the mid to late 1930s. Around that timeframe, McGreevy Drug Store No. 1 opened at 220 E. Walnut. Around 1940-42, Joe started working for Mr. McGreevy. By 1952-53, Joe had bought out Mr. McGreevy and started Gailey Drug Company, which later came to be known as Gailey’s.
The restaurant is broken into three distinct rooms. The room on the far east side is the original site, where the drugstore was housed. You can still see the half-moon window where orders were taken, and pharmaceutical medications were provided to patients. The original drugstore was so much more than just a pharmacy. It was a small café with a diner-inspired aesthetic and the colorful ice cream and candy reminiscent of that era. The barstools seen today are original to Gailey’s. The current owners have worked hard to maintain the original atmosphere of this downtown historic jewel loved by so many over the years.
The center of the restaurant is where the Seville Hotel used to reside. The drugstore was located off the lobby of the historic Seville Hotel, with the illuminating sign still in place today. The building was completed in 1906 and held the Life Office Building, including multiple storefronts throughout the early 1900s. One such company was the Hudson Essex Motor Company. In 1928, the location was transformed to become the Savoy Hotel and changed ownership in 1933 to become the Seville Hotel. The Seville Hotel hosts two sister hotels. One of which is still in operation and located in Harrison, Arkansas. It hosts the same Spanish-style aesthetic as the original, located in downtown Springfield, Missouri.
The Gailey’s owned the drugstore and diner combination until Mrs. Gailey, Beulah, passed away around the turn-of-the-century. Joe Gailey passed away in 1990. Beulah ran and managed Gailey’s up until a few years before her death.
The Drugstore was known as a downtown staple for burgers, ice cream, shakes and they were known particularly for their famous grilled pimento cheese sandwiches. The Hiland Dairy sign is an original that hung in the lobby of the café when the Gailey’s owned the business, and continues to reside on the walls of the downtown restaurant today.
After Beulah passed away, Gailey’s was re-opened in 2004. The space for the new business was just the pharmacy room, which takes up one third of the restaurant today. A few years later, the business expanded into the Seville lobby. The present owners still refer to the space as the Seville, as evidenced by the original neon sign outside Gailey’s front door. The original pharmacy, Seville lobby, and bar now comprise three distinct rooms. During the 1970s and 80s, the middle portion of the building was dedicated to low-income housing. One of the current business partners, Craig Wagner, completely refurbished the inside and outside, turning the space into lofts.
Mrs. Edwards spoke in great detail about the location of Gailey’s. “Being located between the Vandivort and the new Moxy (boutique hotel inspired and owned by Marriott) is a great location for us.” She went on to describe several celebrities that have enjoyed breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night fare at Gailey’s. “We get comedians from the Blue Room down the street and many in town on business at the Vandivort and the Moxy. It is truly a wonderful location to catch much of that explosive downtown traffic.”
When Ethan was provided the golden opportunity to become General Manager, which eventually turned into ownership, he, along with his wife and creative connoisseur General Manager, Katelyn Laubaugh, was given the unique ability to use his restaurant skills and formal education to turn the restaurant into the rocking success the city of Springfield enjoys today. The menu, which Mr. Edwards created with the assistance of Katelyn Laubaugh, General Manager, offers a diverse selection of breakfast foods, lunch specialties, and dinnertime mouth-watering, time-honored classics.
Gailey’s now offers full bar service in the main room, upon which guests enter the building. They try diligently to serve local brands, hosting Mother’s Brewing Company as many of their local beers on tap. They also offer a locally sourced kombucha and source gluten-free and vegan products from Mama Jeans.
“My favorite aspect of this restaurant is the people. I am a people person and have a very people pleasing-personality. I love our employees and the regulars we serve daily”, says Nicole Edwards. She went on to say: “We have great relationships with the food purveyors, our neighboring businesses downtown, and our valued customers, whether long-term, frequent customers or visitors we may never see again.”
The Edwards are community-minded folks. While both have food service backgrounds, the husband-and-wife team are also both involved in local real estate. Downtown revitalization is important to them, not only because they own a downtown business, but they genuinely wish to see surrounding businesses succeed. “We truly want to see downtown Springfield thrive. If other businesses are successful, it will make us all thrive.”, says Nicole Edwards.
