Startups

Goodbye, Happy Harry’s happy.com

The instantly memorable domain for the Delaware drugstore chain appears to be in a state of flux.

The iconic Happy Harrys signage. (Photo by Flickr user Anna under a Creative Commons License)

Forget the Dogfish Head/Boston Beer merger — we’re still not over Happy Harry’s 2006 acquisition by Walgreens.

But not as much as Reddit user poncewaddle, who continued to use Happy Harry’s original happy.com URL to get to Walgreens.com until the bitter end:

(Scroll, please!)

The last remnant of Happy Harry’s died this week 🙁
by inDelaware

A quick whois search confirms that happy.com does still belong to Walgreens of Deerfield, Illinois, and there was an update on May 2, 2019. The domain expires on May 6, 2020.

A little history, if you’re new to the area: Happy Harry’s Drugstore was a Delaware institution from 1962 through early 2006, when the local chain was acquired by Walgreens. Founder Harry Levin’s iconic smiling face and the Happy Harry’s branding remained on the stores until Walgreens rebranded them all beginning in 2011.

Walgreens stores (and drugstores in general) are still commonly called Happy Harry’s by many Delawareans (including me). So, if  someone asks you to run to the Happy Harry’s, they just mean whatever pharmacy that sells a bunch of general items is most convenient.

Happy Harry’s isn’t completely wiped off the internet just yet: The Cannery Shopping Center Happy Harry’s (which still exists as a Walgreens) still has the remnant of a Facebook page, and an active I Worked at Happy Harry’s public Facebook Group, where you can find throwback photos, vintage branded items and the occasional Happy Harry’s tribute, from t-shirts to tattoos.

As for that happy.com domain: We’re dying to know what it sells for.

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

Our services Preferred partners The journalism fund
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

What a second Trump administration means for local startup ecosystems

Discuss how AI is impacting media (and the election too)

The metrics and mechanics that get startups funded, according to 5 active investors

Delaware’s 2024 RealLIST Startups raised a median of $400k this year

Technically Media