James Echols
“When God was a little boy and He needed extra money, He put up a card table outside His folk’s house, This [lemonade] is what he sold” (Esquire Magazine). It is said that “God walks among us.” Now, we cannot speak to James Echols divinity, but we can say he made the world-famous lemonade at Toomer’s Drugs. We also agree with his daughter that Mr. Echols “may be one of the smartest men around.” If he needs to figure something out, he figures it out.
Born in 1937 to a family of twelve, Mr. Echols earned his way. Despite acquiring debilitating polio at a young age and only completing the 3rd grade, his humble circumstances never deterred him from accomplishing what he set his mind to. He understood how things worked and could intelligently fix anything—household items, machines, engines, and cars. His understanding of mechanics supplemented his family’s income. But his primary income came as the “Lemonade Man.”
Born in 1937 to a family of twelve, Mr. Echols earned his way. Despite acquiring debilitating polio at a young age and only completing the 3rd grade, his humble circumstances never deterred him from accomplishing what he set his mind to. He understood how things worked and could intelligently fix anything—household items, machines, engines, and cars. His understanding of mechanics supplemented his family’s income. But his primary income came as the “Lemonade Man.”
Mr. Echols started working at Toomer’s Drugs in 1958 as a delivery man and continued for 40 years. Segregation was still a thing in 1958 and when customers told him to deliver at the back door, Mr. Echols refused and took the order back to the store. He only delivered to the front door; otherwise they could pick it up themselves. He hand-squeezed lemons—about 200 a day in the summer time—for the lemonade, and he tinkered with the ingredients until he became a true artisan in not only lemonade, but also coffee—known to regulars as James’ lemonade and James’ coffee. Each glass was a work of art, made with a secret ingredient no longer available to the public. Today, you can find Mr. Echols picture hanging on the back wall among the past owners of Toomer’s Drugs.
Contributed by James Echols and Barbara Moore