A Lyons tradition · Since 1943
Four generations. One familiar welcome.
Generationsof goodneighbors.
A family pharmacy. A familiar counter.
A belief that has stayed with us through it all.
“Our customers come first.”
Four eras of care, imagined in 3D.
Illustrative tools, not an archival reconstruction.
Story diagnostics
1943 · The beginning
A family. A counter. A beginning.
Bill Dobbins
In 1943, Bill Dobbins and his family moved to Lyons and opened a drugstore at 42 William Street. A hometown tradition had begun.
The storefront and the tools of pharmacy would change through the years. The idea behind the counter would stay the same: our customers come first.
The compounding craft
Care, made by hand.
Winston Dobbins
After graduating from Albany College of Pharmacy in 1958, Bill’s son Winston joined his father’s business.
As the pharmacy grew, Bill bought the Parshall Memorial Building at 52–56 William Street the following year. The additional space made room for the business—and for the generations that would follow.
When Bill retired in 1961, Daniel Barnes bought his half of the business and became Winston’s partner.
The neighborhood pharmacy
The familiar face behind the counter.
Sean Dobbins
Winston’s son Sean, also a graduate of Albany College of Pharmacy, purchased Daniel Barnes’ half of the business in 1992 and his father’s half in 1996. Winston retired the following year.
A card and gift section had been added in 1964. It expanded into the 58 William Street space in 1993, and Bill’s old pharmacy fixtures found a new purpose as shelving. Those fixtures gave the shop its name: The Old Pharmacy Gift Shoppe.
Sean carries that same personal approach into the everyday work of the pharmacy: listening, helping, and treating people like neighbors.
The tradition today
The years change. The welcome stays.
Dobbins Drugs today
Today, Sean and the Dobbins Drugs team continue to serve Lyons and the surrounding communities with pharmacy care, practical help, and a store full of discoveries.
The old fixtures are still here. So is the belief that has connected four generations of the family to this place: our customers come first.
Pharmacy care, a thoughtful gift, a familiar conversation—there is still something special about being known at your neighborhood pharmacy.
About the 3D scenes
These four workbenches and their animated tools were modeled for this website. Their forms evoke different periods of pharmacy; they are illustrations, not exact reconstructions of Dobbins family artifacts or equipment. Genuine family and store photographs remain in the readable history.
A story on William Street
A family story,
painted into the neighborhood.
The storefront mural, Generations, is part of the Lyons Mural Trail. Sean commissioned artists Corky and Chips to create a permanent tribute to his family’s heritage.
The old pharmacy and the Gift Shoppe are part of the same continuing story. Look closely on your next visit.
Come find us on William StreetThe family behind the pharmacy
Deep roots.
A continuing story.
Pharmacy runs through both sides of the family. Open a name to explore the connections.
The Dobbins family
The Nicolella family
Great-grandparents
Bill DobbinsFirst generation+
Founded Dobbins Drugs in Lyons in 1943. Father of Winston.
Grandparents
Winston DobbinsSecond generation+
Bill’s son. Joined the pharmacy after graduating from Albany College of Pharmacy in 1958. Father of Sean.
Albert NicolellaIndependent pharmacist+
An independent pharmacist in Auburn. Father of Imelda.
Parents
Sean DobbinsThird generation · Pharmacist+
Winston’s son. Carries the family pharmacy forward with a personal, customer-first approach.
Imelda DobbinsClinical pharmacist+
Albert’s daughter. Imelda and Sean are the parents of Lucy and Duncan.
Sean & Imelda Dobbins
Their children · The fourth generation
Lucy DobbinsFuture pharmacist+
Daughter of Sean and Imelda.
Duncan DobbinsPharmacist+
Son of Sean and Imelda.
The next chapter is an everyday one.