For six decades, Howard鈥檚 Pharmacy in Selah has supplied exactly what the doctor ordered.
And for most of those years, the family-owned shop 鈥 with its racks of greeting cards, shelves of remedies and wall of mailboxes 鈥 has been a fixture in Viking Village. So has owner Dave Thome, who started working there while he was in high school and returned after completing his schooling at the University of Washington. Committed to staying in his hometown and maintaining an independent pharmacy, he bought the business from Jean and Jewel Howard in 1998.
Generations of customers have come to Thome and his scurrying staff of about 20 for prescription refills, flu shots and specialized treatments for more ailments and injuries than anyone can remember. Thome knows most of those customers by name and greets each with a gentle wave and a tireless smile.
Apparently quite a few of them remembered all that when they cast their Readers鈥 Choice votes this year 鈥 Howard鈥檚 took the top prize for Best Pharmacy.
Perhaps it also speaks to the personalized service and easygoing atmospheres of independent pharmacies, which are increasingly rare in today鈥檚 corporate-driven marketplace.
Whatever it is, Howard鈥檚 seems to have found a prescription for success. Despite the upheaval and chaos in the pharmaceuticals industry, Howard鈥檚 is thriving.
These days, the family business includes Howard鈥檚 Medical Supply in Yakima, which Thome鈥檚 daughter and son-in-law, Aleah and Erik Mickelson, run. And plans are afoot for a new main pharmacy in Selah 鈥 Thome and his son Joel, who鈥檚 now the pharmacist in charge, will set up shop in a sleek four-suite complex that鈥檚 being built just across the parking lot. Thome says they鈥檙e hoping to move in by April.
The new headquarters features separate quarters for a more efficiently laid-out pharmacy, a suite with 1,000 square feet of space for medical supply sales and rentals, plus new offices for Ausink Family Medicine and Harvest Consulting, Counseling and Retreat Center. It鈥檒l also have room for a compounding room for the pharmacists 鈥 a place where they can measure and mix the ingredients for specialized doses of certain medications.
The old pharmacy is a Selah icon, and turning out the lights for the last time will likely be a sentimental moment. But the family vows that the relocated Howard鈥檚 will emphasize the same attentive friendliness that customers have come to expect.
鈥淲e love being in Selah,鈥 says Thome, who still lives on the land his family has owned for 90 years, 鈥渁nd we appreciate the clientele we serve.鈥
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