K&B Drug Store: New Orleans' Most Beloved Neighborhood Institution

If you grew up in New Orleans, you knew K&B. Not just as a drugstore — as a landmark. The purple bags, the purple storefronts, the purple logo. K&B was so deeply woven into the fabric of New Orleans life that locals measured city blocks by proximity to the nearest one.

The Purple Empire

Katz & Besthoff — K&B to everyone who shopped there — was founded in New Orleans in 1905 by Sidney Besthoff and his partner. The chain grew steadily through the 20th century, spreading across Louisiana and into neighboring states, but New Orleans was always its heart. At its peak, K&B operated over 180 stores across the Gulf South.

The brand's signature color — a particular shade of purple that became known informally as "K&B purple" — was everywhere. Bags, awnings, price tags, uniforms. It was a color so specific to the chain that New Orleanians still use it as a reference point. When the city wanted to describe something distinctly local, K&B purple was shorthand.

More Than a Drugstore

K&B was also known for its art collection. Sidney Besthoff III, who ran the company for decades, amassed one of the most significant corporate art collections in the South — works by Rodin, Miró, and Henry Moore, among others. Many of those pieces are now housed at the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden in City Park, one of the finest sculpture gardens in the country. A drugstore chain funded one of New Orleans' great cultural institutions.

The End

Rite Aid acquired K&B in 1997, converting all 181 stores to its brand. The purple disappeared practically overnight. For New Orleanians, it was the loss of something that had always just been there — one of those institutions you assume will outlast everything, until it doesn't.

The K&B Drug Store New Orleans Retro T-shirt, Sweatshirt, Hat, and Sticker are for everyone who remembers the purple. Find them in the New Orleans collection.