Winchester Pharmacy Opens at Former Drug Store Site [VIDEO]

Several dozen customers visited Winchester Pharmacy on Monday for the store's opening at the former Winchester Drug space at 568 Main St. 

"The first day has been great. We've seen a lot more people come in than I had expected to see," said Steve MacNeill, president and co-owner of Winchester Pharmacy. "The stories we've gotten about this location and people just telling us about the history of the town...this town is just unbelievable. I could not ask for a better location and a better situation for us to get started."

While the outside of the building still has the Winchester Drug sign, there have been some changes made to the location.

"We actually renovated the space by putting a hardwood floor down, pulled the pharmacy out and added additional lighting," said Shaun Thompson, co-owner of Winchester Pharmacy. "People have loved it. They've loved the contrast. We've kept some of the old fixtures, the apothecary-style shelves which some of the people have really liked."

Winchester Pharmacy has opened at the old Winchester Drug location after it shuttered in 2012. However, Sydna Anderson, a longtime pharmacy technician at Winchester Drug, has returned and is one of four employees at Winchester Pharmacy.

"Syd is probably one of the most well-known individuals I have ever seen in the town," MacNeill said. "Everyone knows Syd and everyone is coming in to say hi to Syd again and I'm glad she is back."

Dennis Wigandt, a Stoneham resident and staff pharmacist at Winchester Pharmacy, said he is happy to be a part of the new business after previously working part-time at Winchester Drug. 

"I think the response from the community has been tremendous," Wigandt said. "People are coming in to say hello and they are happy to see an independent pharmacy back in Winchester, and I think that is a very encouraging thing."

Of the various services the business will be providing to customers, Winchester Pharmacy will be offering a free delivery service, according to MacNeill.

"We'll deliver basically anywhere in the North Shore and that service is very essential, especially to the elderly and those that have a hard time getting out especially during the winter months," MacNeill explained. "They need to get their medication on time and as easily as possible."

MacNeill said the pharmacy will also offer compliance services.

"If you have an elderly parent, for example, who you are not sure if they are taking their medications correctly, we have some different programs in place where we can step in and monitor those situations and individuals to make sure they are taking their medications correctly and maybe find the problem before it becomes too severe of an issue," MacNeill said. "We work directly with the doctors on these types of programs."

Winchester Pharmacy offers a variety of services, including medication management, prescription drugs, special packaging, free delivery service and free customer card, according to the company's website. Additional services include Rx-only prescriptions, disposal of expired drugs, travel and vaccination advice, free informational material and compression stockings, the site adds.

The owners anticipate joining the Winchester Chamber of Commerce, and they hope to have a grand opening before the end of February.

Store hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, according to the website.

For more information, call Winchester Pharmacy at 781-570-2320, email info@WinchesterRx.com or visit their website.