Dexter Pharmacy settles into new location more than a year after 2009 fire
The new Dexter Pharmacy.
Laura Blodgett | For AnnArbor.com
It all started with the fire on Aug. 2 last year that was blamed on an overheated rooftop air conditioning unit, which destroyed all inventory and damaged the Dexter Pharmacy’s downtown location at 8059 Main Street in Dexter.
Complications with the insurance company prohibited the store’s reopening there, but luckily they were able to move patient records and operate out of their second location in a Dexter-Ann Arbor road strip mall.
“We were extremely lucky to have that second location,” explains Marni Schmid, director of operations at Dexter Pharmacy. “If we did not have it, the business would have failed. We would not have been able to get back on our feet.”
The pharmacy was already in the planning stages to open another location at Baker Road and close the strip mall location where they had been located for the past 10 years.
They broke ground on the new building in February 2010. They closed the Dexter Ann Arbor road location at 10 p.m. Friday, Sept 17, and opened the Baker Road location at 9 a.m. Sept. 18.
Marni Schmid, director of operations for Dexter Pharmacy.
Laura Blodgett | For AnnArbor.com
Now settled into their new location on Baker Road, they are determined to win back those customers who used to frequent the downtown store.
“After the fire, the volume at the Dexter-Ann Arbor store never got to the point where it was the combined volume of both stores,” says Schmid.
“We haven’t been in the new location for a full month so I can’t tell what our numbers are yet. At least we are maintaining the volume we had at the Dexter-Ann Arbor location.”
To get back those customers, the pharmacy has expanded their free delivery area-- even approaching specific people they heard could really use it to let them know they would be happy to deliver to their work or home.
“We’re also hoping that the new drive-through window will be a help,” says Schmid. “It’s a great convenience for people who aren’t feeling well or moms with sick kids who don’t want to get them out of the car.”
Although many large chains offer deals to customers for transferring their prescriptions to their pharmacy, Schmid is not comfortable with those promotions.
“The Medicare rules are strict and you aren’t allowed to incent people to fill out more prescriptions," she said. " CVS and Walgreens can handle a penalty from the government for potentially violating those rules but we can’t afford to do that.”
Instead, they are offering coupons in various papers and clipper magazines such as $5 off a $25 order or discounts on Dexter apparel, which is one of the only places in town that carry the merchandise.
They are also hoping their gift shop and toy aisle will draw customers in during the upcoming holiday season. “We have always carried an extensive gift line and we also have a lot of books, educational toys and games that parents really like.”
Schmid said all of the 38 person staff was absorbed into the new store, which occupies the building’s 10,000-square-foot street level.
“We love it here. We’re getting used to the exposed ceiling; it creates an echo so it’s harder to get used to. Everybody adapted to the layout quickly and I’ve heard nothing but good things from everybody who works there," she said. "It’s working out really well.”
Dexter Pharmacy also owns the Village Pharmacy 2 in Maple Village shopping center in Ann Arbor.
Comments
CoolDexter
Tue, Nov 2, 2010 : 7:37 a.m.
Some constructive criticism here. We're *really* pleased that the Dexter Pharmacy has invested so much in our town (and staved off another CVS/Walgreen's encroachment, which recently happened in Pinckney). If we're going to "lose" the old downtown location, the Baker Road spot is still convenient and the old-fashion style brick building is both attractive and appropriate. In fact, it's not like the pharmacy has left the downtown - it's like they're growing the size of the downtown's retail boundaries in a useful way. Nice work! However... The inside appearance of the new pharmacy is atrocious. When my family and I first walked in, we couldn't believe the discrepancy between the classic/professional outside architecture and the completely amateur design inside. Did the pharmacy run out of money and decide to "take care of the inside" themselves, without any design help? Sure seems like it. Not to be too hard on them, but another poster above compared it to a warehouse. We thought it looked more like a basement rec room. The lighting seems cold/dim, and everything's painted a dismal Soviet beige. Rather than use an open floor plan (pretty much standard retail practice these days), aisles are crammed together at odd angles, with products shelved in seemingly random ways. It's tough to find what you're looking for. Plus, they've reused those old dated purple-grey wall signs to mark the aisles. It just seems... I don't know, cheap? Overall, the effect is like walking into a small-town IGA circa 1983. That's not a compliment. We're big fans of Dexter Pharmacy, and will continue to shop there. They've got the right idea. And perhaps they needed to cut corners somewhere to make this new building happen. But modern shoppers react to interior design cues, even if it's only by choosing to shop somewhere else. Now that the outside of the building is done, we hope they've got big future plans for the inside too.
boom
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 12:09 p.m.
Yes, Congratulations to the Dexter Pharmacy although I am sorry that they left Main Street. They were a draw to the downtown and I'm sure other stores benefited from that.
Ingrid Ault
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 10:11 a.m.
Congratulations to Dexter Pharmacy! After a long haul, they have a new place to call home. They are a big supporter of the local economy and Think Local First. We are so glad to see them being able to move forward to do what they do best... serving their community!
Elaine F. Owsley
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 7:44 a.m.
Sadly, they built it in an area I have no reason to drive to, so I am using the pharmacy at Busch's across from where their Ann Arbor Road store was. The new building, with that high ceiling, is like a warehouse compared to the other. Strange choice.