It'll be the end of one era and the beginning of another one this week, as the iconic Webster's Pharmacy passes out of Webster family hands and into new ownership.
But, say new owners Michael and Meredith Miller, it will be slightly renamed and rejuvenated to reflect their belief in the continuing value of a community pharmacy.
"We're going to tweak the name a bit -- it'll be Webster's Community Pharmacy, because we're all about the community -- we believe there's still a place for a community pharmacy," said Michael Miller, who has worked there as a pharmacist part-time since 2006.
And he knows what he's talking about -- the Millers bought and rejuvenated the Fair Oaks Pharmacy in South Pasadena, which they owned from 1989 to 2005. Of that business, Miller said, "we basically started from nothing until it became very well-known. We're planning to turn Webster's into the Altadena icon it once was."
Which, sadly, probably doesn't mean reviving the soda fountain that was part of the original pharmacy, and is a feature of the Fair Oaks Pharmacy. 'A soda fountain is extremely hard to do," Miller said, "and we were 25 years younger."
But still, "we're excited," Miller said. "We're old-time retailers and ... we're very well-known in the community, and this has been well-received -- we can make it happen.
"I think [customers] have already begun to see the changes. The staff is super-excited about it."
The Millers own a pharmacy and home in Palm Springs, but Michael Miller says they intend to devote full time to Webster's. The tentative plan calls for making plans to remodel the building in January, take bids in February, have construction in March, and a grand opening in April.
Altadena Historical Society President Jane Brackman sent the newsletter above that details some history, and writes us, "We hope they’ll consider reinstalling the soda fountain. A few years ago when Webster’s relocated the post office to the pharmacy, during construction the original flooring was exposed, revealing scars that indicated where the stools were."
