Big guns invade the neighborhood!

The first clue that something was amiss was an email from neighbor Suzanne Miller yesterday noting that Prescriptions Plus Pharmacy, owned and operated by Williams Community Pharmacy, located at 5 Maryland Avenue had a sign in the window saying that "prescriptions were being transferred to Walgreens." In this morning's Post-Dispatch the lead article is about the acquisition and subsequent closing of three family-owned Williams Pharmacies by the giant Walgreens. The other two locations that were sold and shuttered as of 9 p.m. last evening are in UCity and Clarkson Square in Chesterfield. The Williams Pharmacy in Ladue, which also houses a post office, was not part of the deal. 

This is a huge loss. It seems to me that a walkable, urban neighborhood such as ours would and should support a local pharmacy. Perhaps an entrepreneurial graduate of the area's St. Louis College of Pharmacy could be enticed to open up in this location. Or perhaps it's time for an Art Perry comeback. How about it Art? Any comments or suggestions to share?

P.S. – the following comment came from an anonymous source who knows the ins and outs of the business: "The action was not a surprise since Walgreen's and Express Scripts are divorcing. Walgreens wants to pick up more middle and upper class patients to add to their base. Folks who can use all of their services and afford them. Express RX is looking to penetrate more primary care clinics to immediately expand their reach in number of covered lives. It's a strategic war in the health care industry. The change will be official on January 1."