46 | JULY 27 • 2023 

Sam still visits every couple of weeks. “I 
spend two or three hours there, get about 15 
hugs, catch up with everyone. I miss them; 
they miss us, too.
”
Adena Barenholtz, who 
grew up in Oak Park and now 
lives in Huntington Woods 
with her husband, Eric, and 
three kids, remembers how her 
grandmother used to patron-
ize the store and has enjoyed 
watching its transition.
“I love how Lincoln Rx has 
always been a little different. It’s now this 
great [Israeli] makolet-style market/drug-
store … In the past, Lincoln Drugs was like 
a taste of the Old World, like links to yester-
year — that warm, familial, non-corporate 
experience has always been there.
”

RANDOM ITEMS
It took almost eight months to obtain their 
liquor license and, after jumping through 
those legal hula-hoops, Didi and Mendel 
want to keep their fingers on the pulse of 
the liquor world and make sure their store 
shelves are well-stocked. 
In February, they attended the Kosher 
Food and Wine Festival in New York and 
came back to Metro Detroit with more new 
wines for the community. 
“I’ve recommended different kosher 
wines to customers who aren’t even Jewish 
and they’re always coming back for sec-
onds,
” said Mendel, who lives in Southfield 
with his wife, Nechama, and four kids. 
Before Purim, the store hosted its first 
free wine tasting, with representatives from 
both Royal Wine in New York and the 
locally owned Regal Wine present. A “mas-
sive” 6-foot-long meat board was set up 
and, over the course of two hours, almost 
100 people visited the store and enjoyed the 
event. 
“It was a lot of fun,
” Didi said.
Soon after they opened, Yosef Beller 
approached Didi and Mendel, explained 
that he’
d been selling his triple-washed let-
tuce online and delivering people’s orders 
and asked if he could sell it out of the store. 
They readily agreed.
“That was our first product. It was super 
random,
” said Didi. “We had pharmacy, 
liquor and lettuce; the combination made 
no sense!”

They soon branched out and added even 
more variety to the randomness. These 
days, there are the many kosher offerings 
typical of any Jewish takeout store: dips, 
herrings, kichel, pickles, kugel as well as 
Shabbat candles and the Jewish News. 
The store also carries a number of spe-
cialty and boutique items bought in from 
New York and New Jersey, as well as many 
locally prepared items. There are candy 
boards and dried fruit platters created by 
local businesses. Before Purim, the store 
sold mishloach manot gift baskets prepared 
by Potpourri. A selection of fresh challah 
and babka from Dakota Bread is available 
on Thursdays and Fridays. 
“People really appreciate there’s a place 
for local vendors. The community likes to 
support local businesses,
” Mendel said. 

EVERY DAY A CARNIVAL
These days there’s also a fun, lighthearted 
atmosphere at Lincoln Rx … and a heavenly 
aroma reminiscent of a movie theater. The 
store offers freshly popped popcorn daily.
“It’s the best popcorn in town; no one can 
resist the smell! There are customers who 
buy six, seven bags every time they come 
in,
” Mendel said. 
In February, a Slurpee 
machine was added. 
Most Jewish of all is the 
Thursday night cholent, 
which is, according to 
Mendel, one of the best 
cholents he’s ever tasted.
It seems like the commu-
nity concurs. 
“I’m always getting texts 
on Wednesdays from peo-
ple making sure, ‘Is there 
cholent tomorrow?’ Even 
my wife gets texts!” Mendel 
said. “Families turn up to 
buy cholent for supper. 
They buy multiple bowls at 
a time. People just love it!”

LINCOLN MURAL
One of the most recogniz-
able parts of the drugstore 
is the 15-foot-tall mural of 
Abraham Lincoln painted 
on the south side of the 
building. 
“President Lincoln is a 
symbol of freedom — and 

we’re already on Lincoln Road! It occurred 
to me we should have a beautiful mural of 
him on our wall,
” said Marwan.
In 2018, he met artist Howard Fridson 
of Huntington Woods at Chanu-Con, the 
Chanukah event at Congregation Beth 
Shalom, and immediately commissioned 
him for the project. In the summer of 2019, 
it was completed. 
Howard likes to support the store that 
granted him this opportunity, and it was 
news to him that the drugstore had changed 
ownership. 
“Recently, I was picking up 
a few items at Lincoln Rx one 
Wednesday afternoon. On 
this particular Wednesday, 
there were several new faces, 
and they were wearing yar-
mulkes! I asked Marwan what 
was going on. He explained 
that the business had just been sold,
” said 
Howard, who was then delighted to intro-
duce himself to the friendly newbies. “Best 
of luck to Mendel and his crew!” 

Lincoln Rx is open Monday-Friday from 9-7 and 

10-2 on weekends. The liquor and grocery store is 

open Monday-Thursday 9-10, Friday 9-7, Sunday 

10-10 and closed on Shabbat. 

Adena 
Barneholtz

Howard 
Fridson

continued from page 45
BUSINESS

The Lincoln mural 
by Howard Fridson