Preserve local, independent, community pharmacy
Donation protected
Keowee Family Pharmacy is a small, veteran owned, independent community pharmacy, serving the communities of Salem, Tamassee and Sunset, South Carolina. It is the only pharmacy within 15 miles.
Keowee Family Pharmacy opened in July 2019 on a "shoestring" budget, using the proceeds of a federal SBA loan and the entire life savings of its founder and pharmacist. As with many start-up businesses, the pharmacy struggled to establish itself in the market; competing against much larger and established businesses, such as CVS Health, Walgreens and Walmart (and, lately, PillPack pharmacy by Amazon).
In early 2020, as the pharmacy was struggling to gain its footing, the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the local, national and global economy. The impact of this deadly disease was not, and could not have been, anticipated. Particularly hard hit are small, retail businesses (like community pharmacies). The young pharmacy's sales did not grow as projected because, in times of fear and uncertainty, people tend to remain with a "known entity" (even one that the dislike!) rather than bring yet another "unknown" into their lives. Consequently, the business suffered. Staff were laid off, then rehired thanks to the Payroll Protection Program of the federal CARES Act, then laid off again. The pharmacy has been unable to recover using its own limited resources.
Please consider making a donation to rescue Keowee Family Pharmacy. Your contribution of any amount can make a difference between recovery and success, or failure and closed doors for the only pharmacy these communities have ever known.
For those of us old enough: Remember the neighborhood drug store, a fixture in your town when you were growing up? What happened to it? Is it still there? Thriving? Great! Or has it closed its doors, driven out of business by CVS or Walgreens or Walmart? What a loss! Now ask yourself, honestly, are you and your community better off now?
PLEASE help preserve this independent, community pharmacy!
Keowee Family Pharmacy opened in July 2019 on a "shoestring" budget, using the proceeds of a federal SBA loan and the entire life savings of its founder and pharmacist. As with many start-up businesses, the pharmacy struggled to establish itself in the market; competing against much larger and established businesses, such as CVS Health, Walgreens and Walmart (and, lately, PillPack pharmacy by Amazon).
In early 2020, as the pharmacy was struggling to gain its footing, the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the local, national and global economy. The impact of this deadly disease was not, and could not have been, anticipated. Particularly hard hit are small, retail businesses (like community pharmacies). The young pharmacy's sales did not grow as projected because, in times of fear and uncertainty, people tend to remain with a "known entity" (even one that the dislike!) rather than bring yet another "unknown" into their lives. Consequently, the business suffered. Staff were laid off, then rehired thanks to the Payroll Protection Program of the federal CARES Act, then laid off again. The pharmacy has been unable to recover using its own limited resources.
Please consider making a donation to rescue Keowee Family Pharmacy. Your contribution of any amount can make a difference between recovery and success, or failure and closed doors for the only pharmacy these communities have ever known.
For those of us old enough: Remember the neighborhood drug store, a fixture in your town when you were growing up? What happened to it? Is it still there? Thriving? Great! Or has it closed its doors, driven out of business by CVS or Walgreens or Walmart? What a loss! Now ask yourself, honestly, are you and your community better off now?
PLEASE help preserve this independent, community pharmacy!
Organizer and beneficiary
Barbara Perham
Organizer
Salem, SC
David Foster
Beneficiary
