“It was one of those conversations a husband and wife have when traveling on long trips,” said Lundell who celebrated a 10-year anniversary with wife Lisa this past summer. “Some people talk about what they’d do if they won the lottery — not us; our fantasy was to serve great coffee!”

Lundell’s hog barn was added in the spring of 2019, doubling his operation. The growth has aided Lundell in expanding his crop farming as well. “We’ve grown from 145 acres of crop rotation to 275,” said Lundell. “I’m very pleased with the added acres.”

The idea of achieving coffee-house ownership was not a practicality for the Lundells, who were focusing on farm work, conducting home improvements, and raising two children, Noah, 5, and Caleb, 10 months. Lundell is also a volunteer firefighter.

“It was one of those things that we thought would happen 20 years down the road,” said Lundell, “when the boys are on their own. Dad’s interest in a soda fountain changed the timeline fast.”

-Messenger photo by Doug Clough
Brian Lundell sits on the railing inside his hog barn. Lundell added the hog barn in the spring of 2019, doubling his operation. He also expanded his farm from 145 acres of crop rotation to 275. In addition to farming, Brian and Lisa Lundell recently opened The Farmacy Soda Fountain and Coffee House in Ida Grove.

Lundell’s parents are Jim, 78, and Julie, 69, of Kiron, and Jim — according to his son Brian — has a collecting “problem.”

“Dad has quite the collection of old-fashioned soda signs, pop machines, toys, bikes … just about anything you can imagine,” said Lundell. “We ended up at American Soda Fountain in Chicago, which houses 30 or more old soda fountains. You can’t buy one new anymore, so they house the old ones and, when they have a buyer, refurbish them to working condition.”

And this is how the coffee house idea expanded to include a soda fountain.

All of this activity was percolating just after the Lundell’s second hog barn was up and running in the spring of 2019.

“Dad was asking around Ida Grove who owned the former pharmacy building, which sat vacant,” said Lundell. “The downtown building has a history of being a pharmacy and soda fountain going back to the 1920s. The soda fountain was gone, but there was a marble facade where it used to reside, and a marble counter with vintage mirror behind it.”

“Olympia,” a Sioux City Confectionery dating back to the early 1900s is noted in marble above the back counter.

Before Lundell could say “soda jerk and coffee barista,” he had a building that was built for each kind of server. “We found a 6-foot wide soda fountain that worked perfectly behind the marble facade and in front of the counter,” said Lundell. “Of course, Dad had many of the nostalgic items needed to complete the look.”

With a timeline moved up significantly from “when the kids are on their own,” the Lundells began formulating what it would take to open. “I had been involved in the King Theatre renovation project,” said Lundell, “and my sense of optimism increased just by being around that energy. I became more passionate about opening a business in downtown Ida Grove when it was completed in 2019.”

First, the Lundells worked on a layout.

“We knew we wanted plenty of seating, and we also knew we wanted to have a conference room, as well as a place for kids to play. We were going to have to be a family-friendly business for our customers and ourselves!”

From 2019 until opening, it was commonplace to see the Lundell family working toward opening day late into nighttime hours.

And then there was no small matter of what to call their enterprise.

“There is a lot of pharmacy history in that building, starting with Harold Haase who ran it with a soda fountain,” said Lundell. “Later on, Larry Albrecht had it for decades. The pharmacy and soda foundation were a big part of the community makeup. In the end, we knew we would still be farming and serving coffee on the side. We put the two together and, voila, we have ‘The Farmacy Soda Fountain and Coffee House.'”

It’s a name that fits the owners and the community that has warmly embraced them.

The Farmacy, open since Aug. 2, has become a blend of the history it honors and the newness of a ritzy ’50s soda fountain where you can get a splash of regular coffee, a fancy latte, or a seasonal drink.

“We found soda fountain chairs at the Grainery Mall in Walnut and had them reupholstered. The booths are brand new, but fit the nostalgic soda fountain of the past,” stated Lundell. “It’s been fun to research everything from the ice maker to the best ice cream around.”

Of course, Brian’s dad has added ambiance through his collections. A telephone booth from a defunct Denison restaurant is in a corner at the back. Five 1950s soda machines are spread out among the chairs, booths, comfy chairs, and sofa. A Coke sign picked up in Kansas hangs outside the front entrance.

“It’s great to share these things with the community,” said Jim Lundell. “So many people remember when these were staples of downtowns.”

And, like his father, Brian and his wife Lisa like giving back to the community through their new business.

On Veteran’s Day, drinks were half price for those who served their country. Teachers were welcomed back to school with a special deal as well. When the band director sought to buy ice cream for his band, the Lundells donated it.

“It’s really a two-way street,” said Lundell. “The community supports us as well. Our goal is to be self-sustaining while keeping prices reasonable, and that requires great drinks that customers keep coming back for, and we have faith that they will.

“Now that we’re done with harvest, we’re working on what’s next. The advice at first was to not overdo it, and we took that seriously by focusing on the best soda fountain and coffee drinks in the area. We’ve got a bakery kitchen downstairs, and Mom helps a lot in that area. We think we’ve got enough experience behind us to begin forming a light lunch menu. It’ll be another adventure.”