(Published Monday, March 19, 2007 11:14:55 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Stacy Vogel Gazette staff
EDGERTON-In a world with Walgreens and CVS pharmacies on every corner, Edgerton Pharmacy is different.
It doesn't look like your standard pharmacy. When you walk in the door, you're greeted by wind chimes, candles and knick-knacks of all shapes, sizes and colors. You walk halfway through the store before you see any medicine or health supplies.
Owners Eric and Jenna Gresens like it that way. In the four years they have owned the business at 711 N. Main St., they have worked to keep its community focus while remaining competitive with the big chains.
When the couple bought the 30-year-old store, it sold everything from hardware to pet supplies, all on metal shelving. They remodeled, getting rid of a lot of "dollar items" and focusing on specialty gifts, Eric said.
The owners of Edgerton Pharmacy on Main Street say the best way for their store to be competitive is to be different. The store does that with its offerings that go well beyond medical supplies.
Al Hoch/Gazette Staff
"We felt we shouldn't compete with the big boxes of the world, so we wanted to be different," he said.
Some long-time customers didn't like the changes, but most of the reaction was positive, Jenna said. Baby gifts, religious gifts and candles are now some of the store's most popular items, and people come from as far away as Janesville and Madison to get them, she said.
"They love to come here because they always find stuff here they can't find anywhere else," she said.
Edgerton residents also love the store because of the sense of community they find there, the Gresens said. Several employees have worked there many years, and customers like to see familiar faces.
Jenna Gresens
Eric Gresens
Some customers stop every day just to buy a newspaper and chat, Jenna said.
One woman at the store last week said she visits three times a week and buys most of her gifts there since moving to the area six years ago.
"I would never have guessed there was such a cool place in Edgerton," she said.
Familiar faces behind the counter provide better service and make customers more comfortable, Eric said.
"That's one thing for being independent is it provides a high level of service I believe that you're not going to get at other places," he said.
The owners strive to keep pharmacy prices competitive with big chains as well, he said. The company recently joined Health Mart, a network of independently owned pharmacies selling its own brand of over-the-counter drugs.
Michele Ninmer and her 13-month-old, Gracey Ninmer, check out the candle of the month display at Edgerton Pharmacy. In the four years Eric and Jenna Gresens have owned the business, they have worked to keep a community focus while remaining competitive with the big pharmacy chains.
Al Hoch/Gazette Staff
The network will help keep costs low by providing Edgerton Pharmacy with signs, marketing and name recognition. In fact, the Gresens hope to soon put up a new sign reflecting the store's involvement with Health Mart.
But the couple still wants to keep the store independent. Several companies have expressed interest in buying the business, they said, but they declined to discuss details.
