BY GINNY PRIVITAR
WEST MILFORD — The West Milford Pharmacy is many things to many people. Great customer service is a huge draw for this 65-year local business that not only fills customers' prescription needs but also is a great place to stop by when you need a gift. It's a full-fledged gift store, with candy, jewelry, candles and much more.
One thing customers may not know about their hometown pharmacy is that it is a compounding pharmacy (see box). That means if the medication you need doesn't come exactly as you need it, the pharmacists at West Milford Pharmacy will mix the prescription and customize it to your needs. If a child balks at the taste of a medicine, the pharmacist can change the flavoring to something they like. If a usual dose is too much or too little, the pharmacist can mix it to the dose that's just right.
West Milford Pharmacy will also compound prescriptions from veterinarians for your pets.
And they come to youWest Milford Pharmacy offers free delivery, Monday through Saturday, from 1 to 8 p.m. and they accept all insurance. You may even view and refill your prescriptions online. They offer immunizations and vaccinations by appointment and the store carries a full line of durable medical equipment.
Loyalty all aroundWest Milford Pharmacy has been in town since 1950 and they know generations of families around town.
“West Milford Pharmacy is more customer-friendly," said store manager Kathy McKinnon. "We acknowledge our customers by name; we try to go above and beyond. There’s a lot of competition around, box stores, chain stores; yet we have been in town a long time and have a very loyal following.
“We’ve been here since 1950; we’re locally owned and operated for 65 years,” McKinnon continued. “We’re very competitive with our pricing; we match local competitors’ prices on prescriptions.”
Residents are welcome to transfer their prescriptions, she said, noting that A&P is closing and that pharmacy will no longer be available.
Besides customer loyalty, there’s employee loyalty, too. McKinnon started out as a cashier and has been there for almost 24 years. She’s in charge of training, merchandising, purchasing items and going to gift shows. “I do love my job here,” she said.
Pharmacist and managing partner Dan Gutkind has run the West Milford Pharmacy for seven years now. Prior to that, the Michalka family owned it for 58 years.
Some historyPatriarch John Michalka was the pharmacist; his wife Mary took care of the front end. While they didn’t exactly start the business in their garage, they did start out across from the West Milford Presbyterian Church, in the bay of an Esso gas station, which operated at the same time as the pharmacy.
“When we moved here (from Maplewood), my mother made deliveries in a 1948 Jeep,” son Alan Michalka said. Sometimes he and his brothers would ride along in the car. “I came here when I was two — it’s in my blood.”
Alan Michalka remembers when he and his brothers were between 8 and 10 years old, “it was our job was to go to the store after school or on Saturdays or Sundays and clean.” Their father taught them the value of hard work. “One day my brother Jack went out to clean the sidewalk. My father went out afterwards to inspect it and said, 'Jack, go out and sweep the sidewalk again and don’t ever get the idea that you can’t be replaced.'"
In 1972, the older Michalkas retired and Alan Michalka bought the business. In 2008, he sold the business, but still helps out occasionally in the pharmacy. He looks back fondly on the family’s tenure.
“We are very grateful to the town; the town has been exceptional to the pharmacy and our family and we hope in some small way we have contributed back,“ he said.
The tradition continues“I’m very proud to continue the tradition of West Milford Pharmacy and appreciative of the entire community embracing me as part of their own," said Gutkind. “I will continue to provide excellent customer service and make West Milford Pharmacy a household name.”