It’s not often you get to talk to a business that has been a mainstay in its community since 1944, but I was so happy to talk with Bill Pitts at HealthSmart Pharmacy in Viewmont about their history, current services, and wonderful staff. While Bill may have not been the pharmacist at the pharmacy back in 1944, he has been there for the last 20 years. In today’s fast-paced world, convenience sometimes takes the place of personal service, but Bill explained that the pharmacy offers a convenient drive-through window that many customers use, at the same time as they provide a personal touch, getting to know customers, their families, and their needs with every visit.

Knowing the Physicians and the Community
Bill Pitts is 79 years young and spoke about how he has gotten to know the physicians and other providers in the community over the years. “It’s a big advantage to us and our customers,” he said. The pharmacists can and do get in touch with doctors quickly if there are any questions about a patient’s medication, refills, or other needs.

“We have a loyal clientele,” Bill said, and part of that loyalty stems from the personal touch that Bill and the staff are able to provide. Bill had nothing but praise for his fellow staff, including pharmacist Gina Powers, and Katie Teague, pharmacy technician. Both have been with the pharmacy for a long time, particularly Katie, who has been with the pharmacy for 20 years, since graduating from ASU. “She knows our customers and can often anticipate their needs,” said Bill.

Don’t Hesitate to Come in to the Pharmacy
Viewmont Pharmacy not only has a convenient drive-through window that provides quick, easy service for prescriptions, they also offer medication delivery with same-day service. “For those who are recovering from surgery or who have limited mobility, this service is a big help,” Bill said. “We have a good-looking pharmacy,” Bill added. We talked about how many people use the drive-through, but they may be missing opportunities to shop for holiday gifts and other needed items if they don’t take a few minutes to park and shop in the store.

As we talked, Bill mentioned that cold and flu season is underway. He wanted to remind customers about the services they offer at the pharmacy such as medication consultation and guidance for medication management. “With today’s time constraints in medical offices, doctors often depend on the pharmacists to explain the prescribed medication to the patient,” Bill said. “Our staff does an excellent job of this.”

Find Holiday Gifts and More
Robin Ball shared Bill’s enthusiasm for the pharmacy’s layout, atmosphere, and shopping experience. Robin spoke with me about the many different gift lines and decor that the pharmacy offers. My mind flashed back to “big box” chain pharmacies, which often offer low-quality merchandise for high prices.

This is far from the case at Viewmont Pharmacy. “Everyone is surprised when they come in to the store,” Robin said. “We have a beautiful store thanks to Kelly Teague, who creates eye-catching displays with our great gift selections.”

As one example, we talked about Hallmark gifts. For the past eight years, Viewmont Pharmacy has been a Hallmark Gold Crown store. Hallmark Gold Crown stores have the largest selection of Hallmark items, from gift wrap and cards to ornaments and decorative items. “We have all the cards, gifts, and Hallmark exclusive items,” Robin said.

The pharmacy also carries many other interesting, appealing gifts, including nationally-known brands like Willow Tree figurines and cards and Stonewall Kitchen gifts, including jams, spreads, and gourmet baskets. Hickory has so many gifted local artisans and hometown brands, and the pharmacy also carries Doxie Guy barbecue sauces and products, and Savannah Bee honey. A recent addition to the store’s gift lineup are Maril candles, which are a brand of high-quality, long-burning soy candles. Other gift lines include Demdaco, Evergreen, and Enesco. Robin and the other store staff enjoy visiting gift shops whenever they travel, taking notes for gift lines and bringing back ideas for Kelly.

December “After-Hours” Party
The Pharmacy is holding an after-hours party on December 5 from 6 to 8 p.m., so Hickory residents can get a head start on holiday shopping. Robin said that there’s a special 40% off discount on one item that night, and it will be an ideal time to pick up gifts, especially for the “hard to please” friend or relative, or the family member who has everything.

Visiting A Local Pharmacy and Business
Talking with Bill Pitts and learning about his decades of experience as a caring professional pharmacist, I started to think about what a difference knowing your local healthcare providers can make in life. So many different businesses and lines of work have turned into “big box” or chain stores which are all standardized. But people are anything but standardized, and neither are our towns. Bill and Gina and the entire staff at Viewmont Pharmacy not only care about everyone’s health and well-being, they work hard to have a pharmacy that offers convenience as well as a personal, hometown touch. This is a business people can really rely upon, I thought, and that is probably the best thing anyone can say about a local business. Don’t miss Viewmont Pharmacy’s after-hours shopping night on December 5th!

HealthSmart Pharmacy
has three convenient locations:

VIEWMONT
53 13th Ave. NE
828.322.1816

NEWTON
401 West A Street
828.466.1500

CLAREMONT
3119 N Oxford
828.459.2149