Phoebe Vanselow and Van Swanson sat in the waiting area at Ron’s Apothecary Shoppe Tuesday morning, waiting to get their flu vaccines.
The day before, they learned that the shop — which has been their primary pharmacy for decades — was closing its doors on Wednesday after nearly 50 years of service.
“We’re really sad it’s closing,” Swanson said. “We came here all the time.”
The pair are from Gustavus. They moved to Juneau two years ago. They said even in Gustavus, their family was ordering their prescriptions from Ron’s because of its quick service. They said its closure will be “a big loss” for rural communities in Southeast Alaska.
“The service that Ron’s has provided for smaller communities that are relying on things coming in the mail and air taxis is huge, and I don’t know how other pharmacies are going to pick that up,” Vanselow said.
Scott Watts co-owns the shop with his wife. They’ve run it since 2001, taking it over from Ron Sedgwick, the shop’s namesake and original owner. He opened the pharmacy in the late 1970s, near the airport, though it later moved to the Mendenhall Mall.
The Watts decided to shut down so they could retire. They started looking for a potential buyer before the pandemic but never found one.
Watts said he enjoyed running Ron’s because it gave him the freedom to provide more personalized care. But he said the biggest issue the industry faces today is dwindling insurance reimbursements for prescription drugs. As prescription prices continue to rise across the country, pharmacies – especially independent ones – are making less profit.
“The majority of our prescriptions are covered by insurance payments, and those are take-it-or-leave-it contracts,” he said. “And it’s getting very, very tight. It’s hard to pay the salaries, keep the lights on and do everything that we want to do.”
Tuesday morning saw a steady flow of customers to the pharmacy’s counter. Watts said the days leading up to the closure have been busy and bittersweet.
“The end result of retiring sounds great, but closing the store is very, very difficult,” he said.
Watts said the shop’s 10 employees are headed to the pharmacy at Safeway, along with many of the store’s customers. Vanselow and Swanson said Tuesday they aren’t sure what pharmacy they will use after Ron’s closes.
“I heard a bunch of these people are going to Safeway, so probably Safeway,” Swanson said.
Watts said he’s grateful for the support the store has received throughout the years. He said he and his wife plan to stay in Juneau and enjoy their retirement.
“It is truly wonderful and it has been great for us – I just can’t say enough about this community and people,” he said.
