Zeppelin, Howard

Biography

Lou Tobin began Tobin's drugstore in 1936. Lou Tobin and his wife Elsa Kaplan Tobin raised two children Martin and Sherrie. Sherrie Tobin and her future husband Howard Zeppelin attended school together from first grade. They began dating in high school and married in 1965 while Howard was in pharmacy school at CU in Boulder. They became the parents of three children and grandparents of four. Howard worked part-time at the pharmacy during school breaks learning the business from Lou. Graduating in 1967, Howard began working full-time, and was mentored by his father-in-law. Howard had little or no knowledge of the business aspects of the profession, but he learned early on from Lou that it was vitally important to treat customers well and greet them by name. In 1969, Howard Zeppelin purchased the pharmacy, but Lou continued working beside him. There was never a public announcement that ownership had changed. Lou and Howard worked together for over 20 years until Lou passed away in 1988. Howard Zeppelin continued operating Tobin's until 2005 when he accepted a buyout. Tobin's was the last independent drugstore on West Colfax.

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