The end of March will also be the end of a 70-year era, as the last store of what was a five-store pharmacy chain will close.
City Drug, 101 N. Main, is closing at the end of the month, though its prescription service will continue in a nearby store because another local pharmacy has bought City Drug's prescription service."All our old customers will be able to fill their prescriptions at Stone Drug (159 N. Main)," City Drug owner Clyde Nielsen said. "I don't think all of our customers understand that. I'd like to tell them not to worry, since they will have the same service, treatment and prices."
The move was made because of the difficulty City Drug had competing with larger chain stores - such as Fred Meyer and K mart - and because the city's downtown area still is not thriving, Nielsen said.
"Mike (Stone, Stone Drug's owner/manager) told me, `Let's be partners,' but I told him to buy me out instead, since I would have been a junior partner."
The transaction is not a merger, Stone said. "I'm just buying him out - his assets, stocks and prescriptions."
The transition between the businesses should be smooth, because "it's only a move of a half block down the street," Stone said.
Nielsen, who will be working full-time as a pharmacist at Stone, said City Drug will be selling most of its assets until the store closes. During this week, all merchandise will be discounted 30 percent (except prescriptions), and next week prices will be cut in half.
"We won't have room enough for all our merchandise in Stone Drug, so we want to get rid of it. We're even selling some of our fixtures, like our shelves."
The move will benefit both businesses, Nielsen said. "The business is tough enough as it is - going in by yourself - without having to worry about competing with each other."
Additionally, the move will benefit former City Drug customers as well, since Stone Drug uses a computer for its prescription records and is open 90 minutes longer (from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday), Nielsen said.
The Spanish Fork store had been in business since 1920, Nielsen said. "A man named J.W. Christensen opened the first store - in Fairview - near the turn of the century, and started from there.
"He finally moved into Utah County - into Provo, Springville, Payson and Spanish Fork - about 10 years later."
The first of the Utah County stores to close was City Drug in Payson, Nielsen said. "The owner of that store sold out to a competitor, like I did, and moved in with him in a similar combining situation."
Then, Springville's Art City Pharmacy closed and its business moved into a local grocery store, Nielsen said.
Provo's City Drug closed and then moved into the local Norton's retailer (which subsequently has relocated to Pleasant Grove) a little over a year ago, leaving Nielsen's store as the last of the chain.
"It really is kind of sad, with the old downtown pharmacies dying off" Nielsen said. "I've been in business for 14 years and I've had a lot of loyal customers come to the store."