Montgomery pharmacy closes after 96 years

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - One of Montgomery’s oldest pharmacies has closed its doors after nearly a century of business.

City Drug, located in the heart of downtown, shuttered its doors last week. The pharmacy served customers in the Montgomery area for 96 years.

“To be here for 96 years, that tells you something about how special they are and how they really concentrated on customer care,” said Jim Smith, director of marketing for Adams Drugs.

Seated across from the Court Square Fountain and statue of Rosa Parks, the building has seen a lot of history in its near century of business.

“We hate to see it go, but hopefully it will be revitalized to something different,” said pharmacist Fran Gillespie.

Gillespie was the lead pharmacist at City Drug for about a year.

“Our last day, I think they had paper up on the windows and it was sad,” she said.

City Drug’s files and employees have been moved to Adams Drugs on Adams Avenue, which is about a five-minute drive away. Adams Drugs is a family-owned company that’s been in business for over 60 years.

Smith said they were more than happy to help accommodate customers after the closure.

“We have access to their records at City Drugs, so they can simply call us and we can access those records that we’ve gotten from City Drug and fill their prescriptions pretty seamlessly,” Smith said.

Three employees made the move to Adams Drugs and are eager to help customers make a smooth transition.

“Everybody’s been very accommodating to us and trying to make sure that we have what we need to take care of our patients and Adams patients, and so it’s been a transition just trying to merge those two businesses into one roof,” Gillespie said.

WSFA 12 News was unable to reach anyone with City Drug to find out why out why they had to close. It’s too soon to know what will be done with the building.

If you were a customer with City Drug and need assistance, call 334-264-3496. All calls to City Drug are being re-directed to Adams Drugs.

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