Bill McNary, Maple Leaf Pharmacy owner, being interviewed by KING-5 in February 2010 after his pharmacy was robbed the previous December.
The Maple Leaf Pharmacy, a central fixture in the neighborhood, is closed after 27 years.
Owner Bill McNary has sold the business to Walgreens Pharmacy, and will work part time at the nearby Walgreens at Roosevelt Way Northeast and Northeast Northgate Way.
“The whole thing is kind of bittersweet,” McNary said Thursday morning. The pharmacy closed for good Wednesday evening.
“I’ll miss my customers, although I hope most will come along with me to Walgreens. And I’m so thankful to all the people in the neighborhood who supported me.”
McNary said his database of prescriptions is being transferred to the Walgreens, and that customers should receive seamless service there.
The pharmacy moved to its current location, at 8830 Roosevelt Way N.E., in 1996.
Geraldine Crews, pharmacy head technician who has worked with McNary for over a quarter-century, has taken a similar job with Group Health in Factoria.
McNary, who recently turned 60, said there were several factors in his deciding to sell.
“One reason is to slow down,” he said. “I’m tired of working 60 hours a week.
“Then, there’s been an increase in regulations – an added burden to trying to take care of our customers.”
Decreasing margins in the pharmacy business cut into his ability to add staff, he said. In addition, as a compounding pharmacy, part of his business is being able to provide unique drugs to his patients, but coming new regulations there, too, will hurt.
“It will have a severe impact on our compounding business. So, economically it made made sense to sell at this time and start working just four days a week.”
From an earlier story in Maple Leaf Life:
The Maple Leaf Pharmacy also has a bit of history under its roof.
The landlord at the time bought the building in 1950, and was shot at during the many robberies that occurred.
“When we remodeled, there were bullet holes in the cabinets where shots had been fired,” Crews said. “Back then, pharmacy owners used to sleep in their stores at night because of robberies. It was much worse back then.”
In Crews’ time at the pharmacy, she has experienced seven robberies.
Other earlier stories about the pharmacy:
Thank you Bill for your great service. I’m sad to see independent pharmacies close down everywhere. Meridian Pharmacy @ Northgate, If anyone value the customer service, Meridian Pharmacy provide the personal service and best care while building a relationship founded on mutual trust and understanding. Happiest Customer in community.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/meridian-pharmacy-seattle?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)
Keep in mind that the cause of this change is entirely 100% at the feet of the federal government so there is nothing the local government can do. The FDA has simply made it too expensive for small pharmacies to operate, especially if they do compounding. Because there were some problems with a couple of compounding pharmacies somewhere in the country a few years ago – some people were injured, no question – instead of just shutting down the pharmacies at fault, the government decided to issue regulations that controlled ALL compounding pharmacies, as if they were all at fault. Regulations such as these always hurt small business more than big business as the big corporations can afford the compliance bills and the small ones can’t. So thank the FDA for shutting down our neighborhood pharmacy.
I will not be using Walgreens because the retail staff is surly and slow. I will switch to Bartell Drugs which, although a biggish chain, is at least local and the staff is friendly and responsive.
I am sorry to see it closed, I’ll miss Bill and his crew, back in the 60’s there was Sugar & Spice bakery next door and I drove the delivery truck for the Bakery and used the pharmacy for all my medicine.
Seattle is going to need the equivalent of a small business act if this keeps up. I, too, would have stopped in there had I realized (I very, very rarely have prescription medicine, so didn’t have any motivation, unfortunately). I wish that the now closed Oroweat outlet store could have relocated on Roosevelt Way in one of the empty storefronts, but I believe someone posted that there were constraints put on their opening in a new location inside Seattle (the old one must have been grandfathered in).
It reminds me of when Walgreens was inside the Northgate Mall and served food. End of an era of small independent anything. I always felt the space was too big for the pharmacy and the sales floor under-utilized. I’d love a Starbucks, Subway, or something mainstream. A small pet supplies store would be super nice. Lot of animals in this here neighborhood. The raccoons would probably rob it.
Ah, bummer. I would have stopped in if I’d realized. They were always great to do business with.
I will miss Maple Leaf pharmacy . My mother had her prescriptions there for years and I would shop there as well. You folks have been the best!
+1 for bakery….as if we have any say 🙂
I would love to see a great bread bakery go into the Maple Leaf Pharmacy space, something along the lines of Tall Grass. The baked goods at Cloud City Coffee are great, but not their whole mission. Why should Ballard have all the fresh bread?
Just heard this related story a few minutes ago on NPR: http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/10/22/450600567/how-generic-drugs-can-cost-small-pharmacies-big-bucks
I echo Dan there. We’re sorely lacking in everyday options in our commercial center there. I wish we had a grocery store in addition. I was just about to switch my prescription to here since I just bought my house!
Does that mean a Walgreens is coming in there or that they bought his clients?
MLL: Bill, and any clients who want to go with him, are moving to the Northgate Walgreens. There are no plans I’m aware of to open another pharmacy of any kind at the corner of Northeast 89th Street and Roosevelt Way Northeast.
Thanks for the story, Mike. A bittersweet end to an era as the relentless yet inevitable change continues to envelop the city. I hope we can at least get another good restaurant or something to add to the rotation. Best to Bill et al.
So sorry to hear this. We will miss Bill and the rest of the crew. Good luck to everybody.