Nature’s Pharmacy sold the compounding prescription portion of its business to Asheville Compounding Pharmacy on March 16. It will continue to sell supplements, consisting of vitamins and minerals, homeopathic remedies and herbals, according to Bill Cheek, co-owner of the store with Mike Rogers for 19 years. It will remain at the same location at 752 Biltmore Ave.
“We sold our prescription files, medicines and equipment directly to Asheville Compounding, and it happened in one day, so there’s no delay in the public having access to their prescriptions,” says Cheek.
“Mike and I are in our 60’s; it was part of an exit strategy, a business decision,” he explains. “Mike and I will be working full-time in our supplement shop, talking to people about their health and wellness. Prescription processing is very time-consuming, and this will certainly free us up to spend all our time out front. We’re excited.”
Cheek points out that although supplements are sold in many locations in Asheville, Nature’s Pharmacy specializes in them. “Being pharmacists, we have one foot in the medical world and one foot in the supplement world, and to us that’s an advantage in and of itself,” he says. “We’re bridging the gap between modern medicine and natural medicine.”
Since they will be devoting themselves full time to the supplement business, they will be able to focus on research and weeding out the hype, Cheek notes. “The [supplement] business is full of hype, but we can sort through the literature to see what is fact and what is hype.”
The Pharmacy will sell pharmaceutical-grade supplements as well as recognizable brands. It also offers personalized service. “Our motto has been, ‘Treat one customer at a time, as they walk through the door,’” says Cheek. “One strategy we have is to ask our customers what they want us to stock.”
“We’ve been here since 1996, and Asheville has supported us so well,” Cheek says. “We appreciate the support, and although we are changing focus, we are going nowhere.”
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