Goolrick’s, the downtown Fredericksburg landmark home to what it calls America’s longest-running soda fountain, reopens Friday, Aug. 7, after a four-year restoration of the 1808 building at 901 Caroline Street. Jarrell Properties Inc. will host a ribbon-cutting before doors open at 11 a.m., with the first 50 guests in line receiving free merchandise. Regular hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The lunch counter returns with restored original tin ceilings, hand-laid tile, and classic menu items such as chicken salad, egg salad, and grilled cheese sandwiches, plus hand-mixed sodas, milkshakes, and malts. Executive Chef D’Andre Sykes, who previously worked at Michelin-starred Elske in Chicago and other notable restaurants, will lead the kitchen.
The project preserves a place that has served Fredericksburg residents since 1869 through fires, floods and rebuilds, though the pharmacy itself is gone. Jarrell Properties and local historic-property specialists completed extensive structural repairs while expanding seating to about 50 and adding a retail area for Goolrick’s merchandise and local artisan goods.
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Full Press Release:
FREDERICKSBURG LANDMARK GOOLRICK’S REOPENS FOLLOWING FOUR-YEAR RESTORATION
America’s Longest-Running Soda Fountain and Historic Lunch Counter Welcomes Guests Following Extensive Renovation by Jarrell Properties Inc.FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Aug. 3, 2026 – Goolrick’s, home to America’s longest-running soda fountain, reopens Friday, Aug. 7, after a four-year restoration of the 1808 building at 901 Caroline St. Goolrick’s has served Fredericksburg since 1869 — through fires, floods, and rebuilds. Its lunch counter returns with the original tin ceilings, hand-laid tile, and a chef who came from Michelin-starred restaurants in Chicago to head the kitchen at a 157-year-old institution. Jarrell Properties Inc., the family-owned development company behind the restoration, will host a ribbon-cutting before doors open at 11 a.m. The first 50 guests in line receive free Goolrick’s merchandise. Regular hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The building’s history dates to 1808, when it was constructed as a residence before transitioning to a tailor shop in 1822. In 1869, the building was purchased by W.B. Goolrick, marking the beginning of the Goolrick family’s 104-year ownership of the business. The soda fountain, which Goolrick’s is best known for, opened shortly after; however, the property’s first business filing as Goolrick’s Modern Pharmacy came in 1910. The soda fountain has remained an institution for Fredericksburg residents for over a century. As the restoration has progressed over the past four years, Jarrell Properties has meticulously documented key steps of the process via its Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube pages in a series called “Reviving Goolrick’s,” hosted by the company’s Director of Community Relations, Joseph “Jeh” Hicks.
“You come to know every wood joint and masonry detail in a building like this — where it bears, how it was assembled, where every utility runs. That doesn’t come from a set of drawings. It comes from years of taking something apart and putting it back. Our approach is developing unique places to experience life, and there’s nowhere else like Goolrick’s,” says James E. Jarrell IV, Vice President of Jarrell Properties Inc.
Over the past four years, Jarrell Properties Inc. and a team of local contractors specializing in historic properties have worked through extensive structural repairs and restoration of original fixtures to preserve the building’s charm while providing guests with an expanded Goolrick’s experience. The main dining room now seats up to 50 guests at the building’s lunch counter, high-top seating, and banquettes. At the back of the building, Jarrell Properties has added a revitalized retail area that will sell Goolrick’s merchandise alongside products by local artisans from in and around Fredericksburg. Throughout the space, visitors will find thoughtful touches from previous iterations of Goolrick’s, such as restored tin ceiling tiles, recreated hand-laid tile flooring, and barstools designed to accommodate the building’s slanted floor.
“We’re incredibly excited to finally reopen the doors of Goolrick’s and welcome back our neighbors in the Fredericksburg community,” shares Joseph “Jeh” Hicks. “Generations of Fredericksburg folks have lifelong memories tied to Goolrick’s, and a major focus throughout this project was honoring this landmark’s history while restoring the space to a standard that ensures Goolrick’s is here for many generations to come.”
The kitchen will be led by Executive Chef D’Andre Sykes, who began his career in 2017 at Fredericksburg’s Fahrenheit 132 before cooking in Nashville and Chicago, including at Michelin-starred Elske and the acclaimed Korean restaurant Jeong. At Goolrick’s, the menu will nearly mirror the classics served for generations — rebuilt from scratch, down to the salads, the syrups, and the ice cream. Section 7, opening downstairs later this year, will be his: no legacy menu, no inherited recipes, in a room that has not served the public in over a century.
Guests can expect comforting, nostalgic options like the iconic Chicken Salad, Egg Salad, and Grilled Cheese sandwiches served on white or wheat bread with chips and a pickle spear. From the soda fountain, patrons can also enjoy hand-mixed Coke as well as Cherry, Vanilla, Raspberry, Orange, and Chocolate sodas. There will be other uncommon but classic soda fountain drinks like Egg Creams. Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry Milkshakes and Malts, served in metal tins, will be available, as well as special rotating flavors and dessert specials. Goolrick’s will also operate a grab-and-go case with sandwiches and other meals available for takeaway. A full menu is available here.
In the weeks following, Jarrell Properties will unveil Section 7, named for the provision of the Volstead Act that permitted pharmacies like Goolrick’s to dispense medicinal whiskey. Details to come.
