Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
It’s the drug store where everybody knows your name. It’s where you can have a one-on-one with the pharmacist who’s been there for 40 years and it’s where you can meet a friend for lunch or sip on a milkshake.
The Salem Apothecary is approaching its 40th year in business on the Salem square. Located in a building built as a drug store in 1876, Salem Apothecary is the fourth drug store to occupy the space. Spend a little time talking with the owner, Rebecca Marshall, and it’s not hard to see why Salem Apothecary was named the 2023 Business of the Year by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.
Marshall, a registered pharmacist, said the pharmacy goes beyond filling prescriptions and places an emphasis on health and wellness.
“We like the personal touch,” she said. “What works for one patient doesn’t work for the next patient and we try to keep that in mind. When you come to the pharmacy with a question, you’re going to talk to me. Yes, I have technology, but it’s the personal interaction we have with the patient that is so important.”
A 1974 graduate of the Purdue University School of Pharmacy, Marshall bought the drug store, then known as Apples Drugs, in 1985 and changed the name to Salem Apothecary.
One of the first things she did as a new owner was add a soda fountain. As a student pharmacist at Purdue, she worked in a Lafayette retail pharmacy with a soda fountain.
“The pharmacist used his soda fountain as his consulting area. I watched that as a student the way he sat down with customers so when we had an opportunity to have a store I wanted a soda fountain because I wanted to be able to do that kind of thing,” Marshall said.
The Lyon Parlor soda fountain and gift shop bring in extra traffic as well as provide a quick and convenient place for people visiting or working around the square.
Salem Apothecary offers a range of products and services that includes medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, CPAP machines and diabetic shoes. Salem Apothecary also offers classes in health and wellness. Marshall has taught classes on migraine headache treatment and hormone replacement therapy. A local pastry chef teaches cooking classes.
“We look for things that can be helpful for our community and fit with our health and wellness philosophy,” she said.
Art on the Block Nov. 30
Salem Apothecary will participate in Small Business Saturday Nov. 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with its own Art on the Block event. The gift department will have several local vendors and artisans set up. Products will include soaps, textiles, pottery and hand crafted wooden items.
A native of Salem, Marshall said the business aspect of the gift shop and soda fountain are the “fun parts” of the Salem Apothecary.
“I’ve never considered the pharmacy part of my store as a business,” she said. “Pharmacy is a practice, it’s a one-on- one between me and the patient.”
Marshall said the Salem square has been the perfect home for the business.
“Downtown Salem is where the action has always been,” she said. “We’re next to the bank and other businesses and restaurants you can visit when you’re here,” she said. “We have a lot of nice things within walking distance of the square like the Stevens Museum.”
In addition to Marshall, the store staff includes Daniel Main, who manages the durable medical equipment department, and Katherine Fisher, who manages the gift department and soca fountain.
Salem Apothecary is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will be open 10-4 on Small Business Saturday.
Small Business Saturday in Salem
To promote Small Business Saturday, the Washington County Chamber of Commerce will have a cookie walk and photos with Santa. The cookie walk is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and visits with Santa are noon to 4 p.m. on Nov. 30.