Albright & Raw still open; prescriptions moved to Safeway

For the first time in more than 120 years, there are no more drugs at Albright & Raw Rexall Drugs. Owners Richard and Anna Mellen sold the pharmacy part of their business to Safeway as of Friday. A crew moved the entire pharmacy inventory and the prescriptions two and a half blocks away to the Safeway at 450 S.W. Third St.

"We tried to keep it," Richard Mellen said. "This drugstore has been here since 1879."

Albright & Raw will remain open, and the Mellens are busy remodeling. The U.S. Post Office substation will stay in the store.

"It will be open Monday morning," Mellen said.

The Mellens were prevented by a non-disclosure agreement with Safeway from notifying their clients of the deal before Friday. Mellen said he felt bad about that because a lot of his clients might not be happy about the change.

A combination of government programs made it impossible for the Mellens to stay in the pharmacy business. The final blow was the new Medicare Part D program that went into effect Jan. 1. Medicare clients could come in and get their prescriptions, but the government didn't pay the pharmacy back right away.

"It was taking over three months for the government to reimburse us," Mellen said. But vendors supplying drugs to the pharmacy would not wait three months for payment. So the Mellens had to pay for the supplies out of their own funds and wait till the federal government came through.

"We're literally a Mom and Pop business," Mellen said. "We don't have those kinds of deep pockets."

They bought the pharmacy three years ago to the day - Oct. 1, 2003 - using their house as collateral for a Small Business Association loan. When they realized they were in danger of losing their home, the Mellens decided they had to sell.

"It was the most stress I've been under in my whole life," Mellen said.

The three Albright & Raw pharmacists have been offered jobs at Safeway, so no one is out of work.

The soda fountain and gift shop will remain in business. The resourceful Mellen and his son Adam are building a wall to create an 18-by-50 foot annex where the pharmacy used to be. It will have its own entrance and will be leased out. Several businesses have expressed interest in the space, but no deal has been set. The remodeling of the annex should be completed in about two weeks.

"We'll see if it can go or not," Mellen said hopefully.