It was the summer of '69.
Keith Anderson arrived in the Wood River Valley with a couple of fishing buddies.
From that relaxing getaway sprang a business idea that thrives into the next century.
But Chateau Drug & True Value Hardware, which Anderson opened with fishing pals Ellis and Paul Johnson, will see a new owner.
Anderson and current partners Gene Steiner and Don Leonard sold the store, located in Giacobbi Square in Ketchum, to 33-year-old California businessman Ken Sangha on Friday.
"I think he will keep the store going well and preserve the reputation we have," Anderson said. "He is a very intelligent man, and I think he will appreciate all our good, loyal customers as we have."
Some of those customers have relied on the store's varied merchandise for nearly 40 years.
"A local Realtor ... told us about what was going to happen at Giacobbi Square," Anderson said about the store's beginnings. "We worked out a deal, and we opened on Jan. 15, 1970."
Anderson and his partners were no strangers to the business. All of them had been in retail most of their lives.
"We did fairly well the first year," he said. Competition was stiff in the small town, with another drug store in Ketchum and one in Sun Valley.
"They didn't welcome us with open arms," Anderson said. Still, the store continued its operations, testing products and swapping out merchandise with new offerings.
"We did make a lot of mistakes to get the product mix," Anderson said. "At one time, we had wine in there—a wine barrel. It was beautiful."
Wine was not the right product for the drug store, especially with adjacent Atkinsons' Market, so the libation was removed from the floor.
Chateau and the other Giacobbi Square businesses suffered a setback in spring of 1983 when a fire destroyed the building with flames and extensive smoke damage.
"The mall was shut down," Anderson said. Chateau maintained a small pharmacy operation "out our back door," and resumed full operations in September of that year.
"Luckily, we had a good attorney and a good insurance man," he said.
Over the years, the store's management saw a lot of familiar faces come through its doors.
"It's kind of an emotional thing for me," Anderson said. "Most of my children worked there and a lot of great people worked there. We had good, loyal customers."
Anderson said Steiner and Leonard will be "staying on for several months," to help smooth the transition.
"I might be a consultant," Anderson said. "It hasn't been worked out yet, but he (Sangha) indicated he would like me to be available for him, which I am happy to do."
Anderson said he became acquainted with Sangha through a family member and negotiations have been taking place for "some time."
Anderson added he thinks Sangha will leave the staff, which includes longtime employee Linda Montano, unchanged but will update the store with new fixtures and hardware while maintaining the varied inventory.
"He'll put some new thinking into (the store)," Anderson said. "He's been around a lot so he's probably got some good ideas."
The time is right, Anderson said, for a new direction.
"I'm pushing 80. I'm 78," he said. "I guess we just got a little tired, so we decided to sell."
Besides enjoying the relaxation that comes with retirement, Anderson has a couple items on his agenda.
"I might play a little more golf," he said, "and do a little more fishing."
Express reporter Jody Zarkos contributed to this report.
Chateau Drug co-owners Gene Steiner, left, Keith Anderson and Don Leonard stand outside their store Tuesday. The trio sold the store last week to a California businessman. ?I think he will do a lot of good things for the store,? Anderson said. Anderson and two other partners opened the store in 1970. Photo by Willy Cook
