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Biz Beat Roundup: Downtown icon to re-open Friday

Goolrick’s will re-open Friday after a four-year renovation of the 1808 building at 901 Caroline St. in downtown Fredericksburg. The business is reputedly the longest-running soda fountain in the U.S., having opened in 1869. The renovation, which was undertaken by building owner Jarrell Properties Inc. and a team of local contractors, kept the original tin ceilings and includes hand-laid tile flooring. 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 restaurants Elske and Jeong. The menu will nearly mirror the traditional Goolrick’s fare — including chicken and egg salad sandwiches, salads, hand-mixed sodas and milkshakes. Seating is now available for up to 50 people, and there is a retail area at the back where the pharmacy used to be. Regular hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. Friday’s festivities will include a ceremonial ribbon cutting at 11 a.m., swag bags for the first 50 guests and more. Work continues on the building’s basement, which will be a Prohibition-era speakeasy concept called Section 7 that is expected to open later this year with entrances from both Goolrick’s and George Street. Section 7 is named for the provision of the Volstead Act that permitted pharmacies like Goolrick’s to dispense medicinal whiskey.