EDITOR'S NOTE: The following was submitted by Gwen Zwicker.
SACKVILLE, N.B. – In 1857, Amasa Dixon acquired the building on the corner of Main and York Streets and established a pharmacy there. The building continued to operate as a pharmacy under various owners until 1992. In August 2006, the “Dixon Block” was destroyed by fire and demolished.
During the reconstruction of the building, Charles Beaver was the working owner of two very large and very busy Shoppers Drug Marts in Ontario. The location looked like an opportunity to move closer to home (Nova Scotia) and offer a different kind of pharmacy experience. Once he met with Dave Byers, the deal was made, a partnership established and in 2009, the Corner Drug Store (Guardian) was re-opened. Charles says, “We enjoy giving friendly, personal service to every person who comes through our doors, so we take the time to get to know our customers. That’s the beauty of a small town and a small pharmacy and that’s why we love it here.”
Pharmacies are busy, technical and complicated, which can become confusing for customers dealing with health issues. The Corner Drug Store fills prescriptions but offers much more to its clients. The staff will provide blister packs which help people identify which pills to take and when; will help with travel health issues; will administer vaccines like the flu vaccine or those required for travel; will do assessments for minor ailments like urinary tract infections and cold sores and will prescribe when appropriate. They can also help with a medication review and personalize medications, helping customers become more comfortable with medications prescribed and how to take them. Methadone maintenance therapy is also offered.
There is an extreme focus on medication synchronization. That means that the pharmacist will look at all the medications a person may be prescribed and formulate a plan for pick-up of the prescriptions. This is a very helpful service in that it aims to put a customer’s medications on a schedule so that all medications are picked up at once (for example, once/month). The Corner Drug Store will notify the customer about a week prior to the pick-up to remind them.
While pharmacies have always been an integral part of the health care system, they are becoming even more so as society becomes more concerned about health and wellness.
Says Charles, “According to data, non-adherence to cardio-vascular medications results in an average of 1.5 deaths/year in each pharmacy in Canada.”
This is one of the reasons Charles says it is
important to work with people on an individual basis, helping them reach their goals and working with their personal issues to ensure they have the proper medications and that they continue to take the medications on a regular basis. They can even advise customers on potential payment options.
How busy is the Corner Drug Store? Is it busy enough? Charles says they are busy but are not too busy to get to know their customers as they would like because they have worked hard to become very organized. He praises the great team working with he and Dave. He credits his wife Shelley with being the key to the business in looking after the bookkeeping and money management; Troy Boss, the operations manager; pharmacist Chelsea Steeves; pharmacy assistants Cheryl Green, Simonne Bulmer and Harriet Coombs; clerk David Ripley; and finance manager Mary Ann Dean.
The Corner Drug Store is part of a group which includes four other pharmacies: the Village Pharmacy in Port Elgin; Pharmacie Cocagne in Cocagne; Albert County Pharmacy in Riverside-Albert; and Mapleton Pharmacy (a specialty pharmacy) in Moncton. Each of the pharmacies has their own operating partners.
The Corner Drug Store has been able to expand its services and products since 2009 and is looking to expand into the former doctor’s office space by the end of 2018. Much of the additional space will be used for individual professional service. The Corner Drug Store’s goal is to become the hub of healthcare within the community with other practitioners using the expanded space for consultations, travel health issues, vaccines and so on.
What other products does The Corner Drug Store offer? It was the first pharmacy in Canada to sell Karen Phytoplankton. You can pick up Y R U Cooking frozen prepared meals, an ideal option for those living alone or when you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to cook. There are all the usual toiletries as well as greeting cards and some gift items. The newest product in store is Ideal Protein, which not only helps with weight loss but supports muscle mass and teaches you how to develop smarter eating habits and lifestyle choices.
Have there been challenges?
“Of course,” says Charles. “Government intervention has been a big one which surprisingly has not been a news story. For example, the price of generic drugs has dropped significantly, which is good news to consumers but which comes at a price to pharmacy owners.”
Charles says the other big challenge has been to find a Pharmacy Technician with credentials and experience.
“This is a particular challenge in a small town but we continue to look for a technician so that the pharmacists will have more time to spend helping customers on an individual basis.”
Dave Byers will soon be retiring as a pharmacist and Charles has been a licensed pharmacist for 31 years.
“We started this business because in a larger setting, there is never time to deal with customers on an individual basis. We wanted to hire good people and treat them well.”
The bright and cheery store and welcoming staff indicates that they have succeeded.
The Corner Drug Store is located at 106 Main St. in Sackville. Hours of operation are: Monday – Friday 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 12 noon-3 p.m. They can be reached at: 506-536-2255 or www.thecornerdrugstore.ca. You can call or text in prescriptions 24 hours/day at 804-2987 and can set up a text or email service to notify you when your prescriptions are ready.
