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Dairy Bar

"Big John, who was known as the most racist drugstore guy, you know, you couldn't, he didn't allow blacks to come in there and do anything in his store. He had made it known that he was a racist, so when you walked down his street you had to look for him, when you walked past the drugstore you had to look in there to make sure he wouldn't run out and say something to you. You couldn't buy a milkshake. But thank God for the milk dairy...we could go in there on Sunday and get a milkshake and do whatever we wanted. And a cheeseburger. Just a simple thing."

- Thurman Couch

The Dairy Bar (Longmeadow Farm Dairy Store or Farmer's Dairy Cooperative) was located at 431 W. Franklin Street. It was the site of protests in the early 1960s because while Black residents were served at the ice cream counter, they were not permitted to sit in the dining room. The location is currently home to Kipos restaurant and previously housed Pyewacket, a longtime health food restaurant in Chapel Hill.

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Citation: “Dairy Bar,” From the Rock Wall, accessed March 3, 2025, https://fromtherockwall.org/places/dairy-bar.

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