Nau's Enfield Drug, fixture in Austin's Clarksville since 1950s, is closing

Nau’s Enfield Drug quietly announced its closure with the sign on Monday, said Laura Labay, who runs the drugstore. Lambert Labay, Laura’s father, purchased the name and everything inside the store in 1971. The building’s owners, listed as the Colonnetta Family Limited Partnership on the Travis Central Appraisal District’s website, decided to sell the building, Laura Labay said. After almost 75 years serving the Clarksville neighborhood, the store will close in March. Labay said she was notified earlier this year that the building would be sold. A few weeks ago, she “got it in writing” that the sale was made. She does not know who bought the building, and the transaction was not listed on the Travis Central Appraisal District’s website on Wednesday.

“It’s horrible,” Labay said of having to close up shop. Nau’s has all the trappings of a time warp: It’s painted a pale yellow, with hardwood counters and shelving, and Coca-Cola memorabilia hanging all over. Beneath piles of paperwork and items no longer in use is an old-school diner. The diner has a royal blue bar and silver steel counters. Two booths, wooden and small, are hidden among more stuff in the back. Yellow-and-silver napkin holders sit on a shelf by themselves. There’s red-and-white checkered paper for food baskets, red and white striped straws, and a glass jar of sprinkles nearby. Phil and Sue Maxwell have been visiting the store since 1973. They would come for a burger and shake when the store’s restaurant was still open. It closed just before the coronavirus pandemic because of some repair issues, Labay said. When the Maxwells entered the store on Wednesday, the pharmacist asked how they were. “Well, we sure are sad,” Sue Maxwell said. Phil Maxwell purchased a milkshake maker for a couple hundred bucks. Three others had already been sold. As Labay packed up the milkshake maker and looked for the cup that went with it, Phil Maxwell waxed about his love of Nau’s. He hugged Labay, gently placing his hand on her back and his head atop her shoulder. The conversation turned back to milkshakes. Maxwell recalled his favorite flavor. “Chocolate, of course," he said. "God, I’m an American.”