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Since 1940 |
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The Tustin Coffee Club originated around 1940 at the old Tustin Drug Store, located in the Knights of Pythias Building at the corner of Main Street and El Camino Real. Each midmorning, a bell was rung, signaling local ranchers and businessmen to gather at the counter to share news and conversation. This daily tradition continued for many years until the drugstore counter eventually closed. The Coffee Club tradition was later revived and preserved by a local buisness center owner and restaurateur Phil Cox, whose father had been one of the original members.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, while Phil was living in Oregon, he asked me to revive the Tustin Coffee Club. After two meetings those plans were put on hold when California issued its statewide stay-at-home order in March 2020.
Although California officially ended its COVID-19 state of emergency in May 2023, I chose to wait before resuming gatherings until there was ample time and evidence that it was safe to do so.
Now, three years later, the outlook is positive. The time has come to revive and continue the tradition of the Tustin Coffee Club, carrying forward a community gathering that began in 1940. (Our history)
Pete Beatty, President
iLoveTustin.com
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The Tustin Coffee Club celebrates the history, heritage, and ongoing tradition of a gathering that has connected generations of local residents for more than 80 years.
The Coffee Club traces its roots to around 1940, when ranchers, merchants, and community leaders met each weekday morning at the old Tustin Drug Store in the historic Knights of Pythias Building at the corner of Main Street and El Camino Real. A midmorning bell announced it was time to gather around the soda fountain counter, where friends exchanged local news, discussed business, shared stories, and strengthened the sense of community that helped shape Old Town Tustin.
Although the original drugstore coffee counter eventually disappeared, the spirit of the Coffee Club endured. Today, the tradition has been revived as a welcoming gathering where residents, business owners, civic leaders, and visitors come together to enjoy coffee, conversation, and community.
The Tustin Coffee Club website preserves this unique piece of local history while serving as a resource for current and future members. Visitors can explore the club's history, learn about upcoming gatherings, discover community events, view historic photographs, and read stories that celebrate the people and places that have made Tustin special.
Whether you're a lifelong resident, a newcomer, or simply interested in the rich history of Old Town Tustin, TustinCoffeeClub.com invites you to become part of a tradition built on friendship, conversation, and community—one cup of coffee at a time
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The Tustin Drug Store
Founded: 1925
Location: On the ground floor of the historic Knights of Pythias building at the corner of Main Street and D Street (now El Camino Real).
First Owner:
J.R. Harbour was a central pillar of early Tustin, serving not just as the long-time owner of the Tustin Drug Store but also as an foundational civic leader during the town's transition into an official municipality.
He was Tustin’s very first City Clerk.
The Watson Transition: In the 1930s J.R. Harbour stepped away from the storefront after his long tenure, handing the pharmacy operations over to a druggist named Watson. During this brief window, the location was temporarily operated and branded as "Watson's Drug Store No. 2."
Burt Muller and Bill Waters were brother-in-laws who bought the pharmacy at the beginning of the 1940s, ushering the storefront into its mid-century franchise era
Major Changes Under Their Ownership
Expanding to a Variety Store: Upon taking over the property at the Knights of Pythias Building, Muller and Waters expanded their commercial footprint. They opened a separate variety goods store in the adjacent retail space next to the pharmacy. This adjacent space is where the Tustin Area Historical Museum operates today.
Securing the Rexall Franchise: It was under the partnership of Muller and Waters that the Tustin Drug Store officially transitioned into a national Rexall franchise. This affiliation brought the iconic orange-and-blue branding to downtown Tustin and significantly expanded the store's inventory of branded cosmetics, home goods, and candy.
Building the Soda Fountain Social Hub: By pairing the pharmacy with their new variety goods inventory, the duo leaned heavily into the "one-stop shop" post-war retail trend. They established the location's famous soda fountain and ice cream counter, cementing the drugstore's legacy as the premier after-school and weekend social hub for mid-century Tustin teenagers.
New Owners and The Coffee Club - Glenn and Alice Pyeatt.
Glenn and Alice Pyeatt moved to Tustin in the late 1940s and took over ownership of the Tustin Drug and Variety Store . Some of Glenn's fondest memories and friendships came from the drugstore days, with personalized coffee cups for patrons of the soda fountain.
The Atmosphere: The store featured dark wood shelving, traditional apothecary jars, and glass showcases packed with household items, basic cosmetics, and prescription components that pharmacists still mixed by hand.
The "One-Stop Shop": Following national post-war trends, the 1950s pharmacy expanded far beyond medicine. It became a bustling social hub featuring a soda fountain, ice cream counters, a wide magazine and comic book rack, branded Whitman's chocolate boxes, and early plastic consumer goods.The Tustin Drug Store closed its doors in 1981, officially ending its roughly 40-year run as the central social and commercial hub of Old Town Tustin.
The rise of modern corporate shopping centers with large chain supermarkets and drive-through pharmacies in the late 1970s and early 1980s ultimately pulled foot traffic away from traditional downtown Main Street merchants
Saddleback Chapel; About Glenn Howard Pyeatt 
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