PRINCE
PHARMACy
Hart Drugs, Third Avenue Pharmacy & Phoenix Dispensary Written by Ted Clarke
Corkie Simmie was a business pioneer when he opened Hart Drug Mart in the 1970s on the northern outskirts of the city. He had already established a pharmacy in downtown Prince George, currently Third Avenue Pharmacy. At the time, there were few other stores in the Hart Highway area and, as a pharmacist with keen business instincts, he realized with the neighbourhood growing rapidly, there was a need for a hardware/giftshop/post office, so he added these to his existing store. That unique drugstore/hardware store combination continues to serve its customers today as Hart Drug Mart/Hart Home Hardware. Now owned and operated by independent pharmacists Jim Ewert and Chris Pallot, they also took on the ownership of Third Avenue Pharmacy. “The pharmacy side of the business is quite strong and we’re really proud of our independence,” said Pallot. “We’re not a big chain where the profits leave the city and we’re able to keep it local. We’re a full-service pharmacy that can do speciality compounding. Traditionally, pharmacists would mix two creams together and they would call that compounding but now there’s a lot more to it. We’re making specialty liquids for people who can’t swallow pills and we do quite of bit of that for the veterinarians.” They also fill prescriptions for hormonal replacement therapy and for palliative care, plus they make pain control products, some of which are not commercially available. Originally from Lillooet, Pallot is a fourth-generation pharmacist and his grandfather, father and sister have all worked in the same store (Pharmasave Lillooet) as pharmacists.
GEORGE profiles of
EXCELLENCE
Helping people get healthy is also family tradition for Ewert. His father, Bob Ewert, was a long time Prince George surgeon, and one of the driving forces that helped establish the Northern Medical Program at UNBC. Bob was the son of Dr. Carl Ewert, who arrived in Prince George by paddlewheeler in 1913. Pharmacists are sometimes the first line of medical help for patients when they can’t get in to see their doctors. They pride themselves on the high level of service they provide at the counter and over the phone. Their pharmacies offer a free delivery service for those unable to get out. These types of services have built a loyal base of customers that goes back generations. Ewert began with the company in 1989 and Pallot in 1994 .They took over the businesses in 2004, when Corkie Simmie passed away. In 2015 Ewert and Pallot, along with fellow pharmacist Curt Fowkes, purchased Phoenix Dispensary, another long standing independent pharmacy in Prince George. Last year, they added three new partners to their Hart Drug Mart and Third Avenue Pharmacy stores – Curt Fowkes and Brent Kyle, both of Quesnel, and Patrick Dinelle of Houston. All three are respected pharmacists that have been working with them for several years.
“We’re one of the last independent pharmacies in Prince George. I think that’s why Chris and I have remained for so long. You have control of your business and you decide where you want to take it.” - Jim Ewert
“We’re one of the last independent pharmacies in Prince George. I think that’s why Chris and I have remained for so long. You have control of your business and you decide where you want to take it.” said Ewert. All of their businesses donate to many local events and organizations, such as the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation, The Northern Medical Program, AiMHi, Prince George Hospice Society and they also sponsor amateur sports teams in the city, as well as the Cougars and Spruce Kings junior hockey teams
PhotoS | Left: (From left to right) Chris Pallot, Patrick Dinelle, Brent Kyle, Curt Fowkes and jim Ewert. Right: The Hart Drug Mart pharmacy located inside the Hart Home Hardware. Main photo by james Doyle. Inset photo by Brent Braaten.
THiRD AVE PHARmACy 1467 Third Avenue P: 250.564.7147 HART DRug mART 6707 Dagg Road P: 250.962.9666 PHOEnix DiSPEnSARy lTD. 103 - 2155 10th Avenue P: 250.562.3383
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