Walgreen Agency Drug Store

Helmar Abrams (1915-1985) was born in South Carolina to Samuel J. Abrams (1878-1934) and Julia Levy Abrams (1878-1953), both first-generation Americans. The couple previously lived in Virginia and Edenton, North Carolina, where his older brothers, Morris Levy Abrams (1903-1975) and Carroll Paul Abrams (1906-1982) were born. The family moved to Lake City by 1910, where Sydney (1910-1992) and Helmar were born. In 1929, the entire Abrams family moved to Georgetown, where Morris Abrams assumed management of the Princess Theatre. Carroll Abrams co-founded Georgetown Cash Depository three years later. After earning a BS in Pharmacy from the University of South Carolina in 1937, Helmar Abrams returned to Georgetown and established a Walgreens franchise. His brother, Sydney, later joined the business. In 1942, Helmar married Deborah Baruch (1921-2017), a cousin of Bernard Mannes Baruch (1870-1965), Wall Street financier and Hobcaw Barony preservationist. The Abrams brothers operated the Walgreens franchise until their retirement in 1978.