FORTVILLE — The town’s only independent pharmacy is filling its last prescriptions after selling to a national drugstore chain.
Garst Rx Pharmacy, 325 S. Main St., Fortville, has sold to CVS, pharmacy manager and owner Eric Garst recently announced on Facebook. Starting Aug. 6, customers’ prescriptions will be at CVS Pharmacy at 715 E. Broadway St., Fortville.
The 2008 Mt. Vernon High School graduate opened the pharmacy in June 2015 in the former MainSource Bank location after earning a pharmacy degree and master of business administration from Butler University.
“Our decision to sell our pharmacy was not easy to make,” Garst said in the Facebook post. “Unfortunately, prescriptions have become less and less profitable, making it harder to pay the bills. We sincerely appreciate all your support over the last five years in business.”
Garst told the Daily Reporter in an email that drug prices have gone up and reimbursement from insurance companies has decreased each year his pharmacy has been in business.
“Margins keep getting smaller and smaller,” he continued. “We actually lose money on 30% of the prescriptions we fill. Another 30% of the prescriptions just break even. Independent pharmacies have little to no negotiation power with wholesalers or insurance companies, so the contracts are basically ‘take it or leave it’ contracts.”
Garst said his pharmacy served more than 1,000 customers on a regular basis.
CVS doesn’t accept coverage from two pharmaceutical plans used by some of his customers — TriCare and MedImpact, Garst said. Customers of those providers will be able to transfer their prescriptions to other pharmacies that accept those plans, including Meijer, Kroger, Walgreens, Walmart and Medicap, an independent, family-owned pharmacy in Greenfield.
Garst encourages customers to call in refills to CVS a few days in advance, as it will be busy with the large influx of prescriptions it will be receiving. The pharmacy’s phone number is 317-485-7111.
“If your medications are synchronized, please keep refilling them at the same time,” his Facebook post reads. “This will save a lot of time for both you and the CVS pharmacy employees.”
Including Garst, the pharmacy has four full-time employees and two part-time employees.
Garst plans to sell his building in the coming months.
“We are excited to see what will come into the space,” he said. “We hope the building is attractive to buyers due to the presence of the drive-thru, parking and corner location.”
Garst said on Facebook that he, his wife and two children will remain living in Fortville. He told the Daily Reporter that he will take some time off to get his building ready to sell and finish paperwork necessary for completing the closing. He plans to continue practicing pharmacy, but has yet to decide where he’ll land in the industry.
“Fortunately, there are many different areas of pharmacy that pharmacists can go into,” he said.
Nancy Strickland, executive director of the Fortville McCordsville Area Chamber of Commerce, told the Daily Reporter in an email that the community is sorry to see Garst Rx Pharmacy go.
“Eric Garst and his team have been an invaluable asset to all,” Strickland said. “Their professional and courteous service has made the pharmacy a favorite among their customers, and many of us are lamenting the loss of their service.”
She added that the pharmacy’s staff made it a point to get to know their customers and that personal attention will be missed.
“We have appreciated their support of the Fortville/McCordsville Chamber of Commerce and wish Eric and his staff well in the future,” Strickland said.
