which broke out in a false ceiling of a storeroom in the branch on Sixth and Broadway in Los Angeles; a worker of the Soule Steel Company had been welding in close proximity to the hazard. She took the company to court in 1940. The Bureau of Fire Investigation investigated the case and the court concluded in December 1940 that The Owl Drug Company had been negligent in permitting welding to have taken place, ruling: "The general rule is that persons in the lawful use of fire must exercise ordinary care to prevent it from injuring others". Baseball player Rugger Ardizoia worked for the firm in the late 1940s during off-seasons. Cecil W. Law was chairman of the company for over 40 years. Branches In 1912, Owl opened its fourth location in Downtown Los Angeles at Spring and 5th streets; an ad described its features: Positively, it's the most modern drug establishment in Western America…money has been lavished on this beautiful store…it has the finest and most sanitary soda fountain in the entire West… made entirely of onyx and German silver…forty-two feet long… as long as the average city lot is wide. The ladies' waiting room is the most…commodious in the city… free telephones, a washroom, easy chairs and writing desk. …Store departments: Drugs and Chemicals - Toilet Articles and Perfumes - Brushes - Rubber Goods - Patent Medicines - Liquors - Candy - Cigars - Cutlery - Stationery - Soda Fountain Later branches to open in Los Angeles suburban districts included 6380-84 Hollywood Boulevard (at Cahuenga Boulevard) in Los Angeles from 1934, and at Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue. By the late 1930s, the company had dozens of branches across the United States, operating in major cities like New York and Chicago, and especially in the Los Angeles area. In Fresno, the company had a branch at the 1000 Fulton Mall Building on Fulton Street and Tulare Street from 1917 until 1951. In San Diego, they operated a large store next to the Plaza Hotel. By the early 1940s, they operated in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, at Nelson Street and Granville Street. Other interests As a company which also sold perfumes and cosmetics, the Owl Drug Company ran "Beauty Weeks", which included a range of fashion-related entertainment including beauty contests judged by Elinor Glyn, in which winners received a Hollywood screen test. Their fashion shows were a considerable success