Small Business Spotlight: A to Z Pharmacy

A to Z Pharmacy

EDITED BY AMBER KEISTER | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JONATHAN FREDIN

PHARMACIST KRISTEN MOORE wasn’t looking to start a business when she was laid off from her job at a Cary Rite Aid. Her loyal customers convinced her to give entrepreneurship a try, and Moore opened A to Z Pharmacy in March 2019.

The business was named for its inventory — a little bit of everything — and for her children’s initials — Andrew, Abby and Zach.

Although the shop is new, Moore has an experienced team. One of her first hires was pharmacist Debbie Skakle, who joined the A to Z team in April 2020. Previously employed at the Cary Harris Teeter pharmacy, Skakle has been a pharmacist for more than 25 years.

“She has brought more than 500 patients with her from Harris Teeter pharmacy, and is most likely the reason we’re still open,” said Moore about her colleague. “She has a passion for her patients and goes above and beyond consistently for them and for me.”

Owning an independent pharmacy hasn’t been easy, but Moore says connecting with and serving customers makes it worthwhile. She recently shared a few thoughts about the business.

Why did you want to open your own pharmacy?

I was a pharmacy manager at Rite Aid in Cary, and Walgreens bought the chain. Our store was closed, and I was laid off. I hunted for a new job for a little while, but my patients encouraged me to open my own store. I thought it was impossible until I heard it enough times to look into actually doing it. The idea of not being bound to quotas and metrics and being able to get back to providing excellent patient care was a huge motivator for me.

What services or products do you offer that are different from a chain pharmacy?

Debbie (Skakle) and I know our patients by name. We know about their medicine, as well as their kids, jobs, grandkids,

Kristen Moore, owner of A to Z Pharmacy, invited local artists and artisans to display their work in her spacious waiting room.

and other important things because we take the time to listen. The pharmacist answers the phone 90% of the time, not a machine.

We blister package medication for patients — all morning meds in one bubble, evening meds in another bubble. It is a labor-intensive process, and the chains don’t have time to do that. We were (and still are) offering the shingles vaccine even when it was on backorder at the chains.

We also offer a mobile app that can be used to request refills, transfer prescriptions, set up a delivery, and look up information about medications.

Why is delivery service part of your business model?

We have been delivering medicines and non-prescription products since we opened. It is a free service we provide for patients within 5 miles of here. There are

Pets are welcome in the store, as long as they are leashed. A to Z also carries pet prescriptions and other necessities.

many reasons people choose to have us deliver their medicine: Busy schedules, illness, not driving in the dark, and mobility issues. Due to the pandemic, we have been delivering much more, and we’ve done a lot of curbside service.

What has been the biggest challenge as a small business owner?

The biggest challenge was realizing that about 30% of the prescriptions we fill, we lose money on. The insurance companies pay us less than what it costs for us to buy many medications. Because a couple of the big chain pharmacies own some of the largest insurance companies, they penalize their patients by making them pay higher copays to go to a competitor pharmacy. These two issues were eye-opening to me, and the independent pharmacy lobby is fighting hard to level the playing field.

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Why open an art gallery in your waiting room?

My waiting area is pretty large, and I wasn’t sure exactly what to do with it. My friend is a photographer, so he asked if he could hang and sell some of his and his friends’ photos here. It sounded like a great idea — I got “free” decorations on my walls, and he could display and sell some pictures. We repainted the walls, hung the photos, and the A to Z Gallery was born. We have a few pictures of the Cary Art Center, butterflies, bees and other visually interesting pieces.

We’ve expanded from just photography, and since the pandemic, we’ve added a local crafts section. The pandemic closed Lazy Daze and Spring Daze, so I asked some of the crafters if they wanted a spot in my store. We now have almost 10 people who sell their crafts here. We have a wide variety of products: jewelry, purses, jackets, clay gnomes and fairies, candles, cement flower pots and candle holders, laser-cut wood, and yarnbased crafts.

What has been the best thing about owning the business?

It has really brought my family closer together. My husband has been extremely supportive of me. He is working extra hours to make sure we can keep our family budget running while I grow the pharmacy enough to turn a profit. He listens to my worries and offers suggestions to help reduce my stress levels.

My daughter works with me on Saturdays, and she is a huge help answering the phone and filing paperwork. My sons help me put together packets of paperwork for the flu shot clinics we hold in neighborhoods and for the current COVID vaccines. My in-laws helped me physically build the pharmacy. We laid the floors and painted for a few weeks in 2019. My parents have helped me with some start-up costs, and marketing and business ideas.

I feel like I can do anything I set my mind to, because I know I have the support of my family. t

A to Z Pharmacy 1105 Ballena Circle, Cary (919) 650-3883 | pharmacycarync.com

Living up to its name, the shop stocks a little of everything — from handcrafted jewelry to over-thecounter and prescription medications.

The art of perseverance

meet the paper cut ninja

WRITTEN BY EMILY UHLAND | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JONATHAN FREDIN

Family experiences, cultural history and ninja portraits all find their way into Saguinsin’s work.

The term “ninja” has many associations in present day vocabulary.

There’s the stealthy Japanese warrior figure. Or a person with exceptional skills in a particular area, such as a culinary ninja. And an obstacle-surmounting, high-flying athlete, like those competing on American Ninja Warrior.

Going back to the word’s origin, however, ninja signifies perseverance, which aptly describes Tim Saguinsin, the Paper Cut Ninja, and his journey as an artist, small business owner and ninja athlete.

Exhibiting a strong affinity for the arts early on, Saguinsin attended an arts-focused high school and then the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, where he concentrated on painting and sculpture.

“I was all set to become the greatest artist ever until I saw how expensive my tuition was, and I had to figure out how I was going to pay for everything,” Saguinsin said. “So I converted the knowledge and talents I had and started to learn how to use a computer.”

Pivot No. 1

Thus began his career as a computer graphic artist and animator, producing educational materials for children.

“I turn really complex lessons into something that a kid can easily digest,” he said.

That work took him to London and back, and he eventually landed in Cary, by way of Holly Springs, with his wife and two sons.

Noticing the popularity of paper cutting machines like the Cricut — thanks, in part, to the family’s many crafty friends — Saguinsin experienced a light-bulb moment.

“When I realized that I could use the files that I create on the computer in digital form and turn it into paper, that was it,” he said. “It was like being back in art school again. I was exploring all kinds of different things with it. I started developing my voice.”

Everything around us is made by an artist. The less we have of artists in this world, the more boring the world is going to be.” ”

— Tim Saguinsin, Paper Cut Ninja

“Coming Home to Holly Springs,” depicts Saguinsin’s family en route through many town landmarks.

The paper cut ninja, Tim Saguinsin, nimbly transitions between his roles as an artist, athlete and business owner.

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Pivot No. 2

That voice turned into a business called Paper Chop Shop, producing vibrant and punchy threedimensional paper sculptures and wall art. Everything from silhouettes to city skylines, animals and illustrated characters are brought to life through layer upon layer of colorful paper and creative, intricate cuts. Saguinsin is head chopper, a role he assumes on nights and weekends, after his day job as an animator is complete.

Each project begins with an original illustration on the computer, then is cut out on paper in careful detail.

“Nothing takes less than five hours. Most of the projects take anywhere from eight to 10 hours,” Saguinsin said.

One noteworthy piece, called “Coming Home to Holly Springs,” features a playful map of various Holly Springs buildings, such as the cultural center and Bass Lake conference center, which Saguinsin created for an art festival as a board member of the Holly Springs Arts Council.

Saguinsin’s work received a new level of notoriety when he debuted on the television show “American Ninja Warrior” as the Paper Cut Ninja, selected for a three-and-a-half minute hometown highlight out of 70,000 initial applicants.

“For my submission video, I talked about being the Paper Cut Ninja. I cut all the ninjas out that are on the show, and that was my schtick for getting on the show,” he said.

Saguinsin’s episode aired during the summer of 2019, and since then he has received multiple commissions for portraits of other ninjas.

“I was incredibly honored and privileged to have something on the show,” he said. “I want to get back on (“American Ninja Warrior”), because I want to do better than I did last time. I only got to the second obstacle. The water was cold. I want to be able to do it so I don’t get wet.”

Saguinsin fell in love with ninja training after completing a Spartan race with his wife and friends.

“That was my turning point. This is what I want to be doing.”

He jumped head first into promoting the sport by opening Warrior Tech training facilities in Morrisville and North Raleigh.

Pivot No. 3

“I realized there were no places to train for Spartan races, and I wanted to have a business where you could train for it,” he said.

“Four days after I opened the gym, I tore my achilles tendon doing the warp wall. … Two years later on the exact day that I tore my achilles tendon, I stepped on the course of 'Ninja Warrior' and was allowed to run that course.”

Fighting through problems and obstacles — and yes, perseverance — are part of the ninja training process, he says.

The Warrior Tech facilities have been hit hard by COVID-19, operating at low attendance for their usually popular track-out camps, group classes and birthday parties. Still, Saguinsin’s enthusiasm remains.

“It’s one of the coolest communities you’ve ever been to,” he said. “I want the sport to grow, and want everyone to overcome each obstacle.”

In the meantime, Saguinsin continues to develop his style of paper art, some of which can be seen at the Morrisville Warrior Tech.

“For me, I’m trying to find a way to get back to my roots of being an artist. I like doing commissions; it’s fun. But I really want to get back to being free to create whatever I want to create … work that speaks to me.” t

Paper Chop Shop

paperchopshop.com

Warrior Tech 220 Dominion Drive, Suite G, Morrisville (919) 230-1992 warriortechnc.com

The Flower ShuttleApex Community Garden Plows Ahead Despite Uncertainty

WRITTEN BY JACK FREDERICK CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS FROM ANNE HARRISON

SIMPLE GIFTS COMMUNITY GARDEN IS AT A CROSSROADS, but champions of the Apex garden remain undeterred in their mission.

The future for the garden at its current location has been uncertain since the April 2020 death of Jeanne Hack, whose 10-acre property has been home to the project since its inception in 2009. Still, organizers have begun the spring planting, even as they mull over long-term options.

“We’re going full steam ahead with plans for gardening this year until we know differently,” said Anne Harrison, the garden manager.

Hack, a longtime member at Apex United Methodist Church, the garden’s sponsor, offered her land as a base of operations since the beginning. Organizers knew, though, that the agreement secured a place for the garden only as long as Hack was alive, Harrison said.

“She just said it seemed like such a waste for her to look out the window and see that empty field. She was very happy for us to use it for her lifetime,” Harrison said. “She never promised us anything beyond that, so I have tried to make sure that I say that to anybody that is interested in this.”

Ideally, garden leaders would like the garden to stay where it is at 1075 S. Hughes St., where years of hard work have paid dividends.

“We’ve amended that dirt for 11 years, so it’d be lovely if we could stay,” Harrison said.

Organizers have ideas about how to keep it there, proposing to the Town Council that Apex purchase the land and turn it

TOP: Harvested produce awaits pickup at Simple Gifts Community Garden in Apex.

“We’re going full steam ahead with plans for gardening this year until we know differently.”

— Anne Harrison

RIGHT: Volunteers work throughout the year to grow produce for themselves and for five local food pantries: St. Mary's AME Church Food Pantry, Western Wake Crisis Ministry, Holly Springs Food Cupboard, The Point Food Pantry and Fuquay-Varina Emergency Food Pantry.

into an urban eco park formed around the garden. Wildlife is plentiful on the property, and Harrison says the infrastructure for such a park already exists, with a pond, garden and pre-Civil War era buildings that could serve a variety of purposes.

For now, the land is not yet on the market, though Hack’s children are in favor of selling to Apex for the park “if it can work out for all parties involved,” Harrison said.

Discussions with the town about purchasing the property are in early development, and town staff are looking into options, wrote Assistant Town Manager Shawn Purvis, in an email.

Meanwhile, organizers are looking for alternate locations, if the garden can’t stay where it is.

No matter what, the garden will continue its mission of fostering community in Apex and producing hundreds of pounds of organic crops annually that benefit local food banks. Volunteers are welcome every Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon, and on Tuesday evenings, 5-7 p.m.

For more information about Simple Gifts Community Garden, including how to sign up to volunteer, visit simplegiftsgarden.wordpress.com. t