The historic downtown fixture of Winslow Drug will close at 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, bringing an end to 60 years of small town-style pharmacy service.
Owner and head pharmacist Justin Ausmeier, previously the longtime pharmacy manager at the Bainbridge Island Rite Aid, acquired the iconic island institution nearly two years ago, and announced the shop’s impending closure earlier this week.
Ausmeier said he was very proud of what he and his staff had accomplished, but, in light of recent developments, felt closing the store was ultimately the best decision for all involved.
The shop’s personnel, stock and accounts will be transferred to the pharmacy in the Safeway in the Island Village Shopping Center, who Ausmeier sought out as a potential purchaser when contemplating the future of the store.
The closure is the outcome of a combination of recent changes, Ausmeier said, including the planned relocation of Winslow’s Virginia Mason Medical Clinic to the Wintergreen Walk development on High School Road, as announced late last year, and recent insurance policy changes that made Winslow Drug an “out of network” pharmacy for many of the drug store’s regular customers.
“I love my customers,” he said. “Every single one of them. I love the loyalty, but loyalty only gets you so far. You have to make it easy for them to be loyal.”
Customer accounts will be transferred to the Safeway pharmacy automatically, Ausmeier explained, with no additional action required on the part of customers.
“Our phone and fax will transfer over,” he said. “And the profiles, so no work needs to be done at all. [Customers] will also receive welcome flyers from Safeway explaining everything.”
The same services Ausmeier instituted downtown will also remain in effect, he said, including prescription delivery and after hours emergency assistance.
All store inventory will be 50 percent off until 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 11.
Ausmeier, who hails from South Africa and first moved to Bainbridge in 2006, is only the third owner of the store (originally known as Vern’s Winslow Drug) since it first opened in 1956.
