Latest news with #CentralDrugStore
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Pharmacy that outlasted Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid to close in days after 117 years
Legendary California pharmacy Central Drug Store will be closing its doors for the last time on Tuesday after 117 years. Owner and operator Jerry Tonelli announced the San Francisco store would be shuttering following his retirement. The store has outlasted pharmacy empires like Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid, along with various mail order services. While the closure has come as a shock to some customers, Jerry assured them that it was his decision to close the store and that he was leaving on his own terms. 'It is time for all of us to start a new phase in our lives and spend more time with our families,' he wrote in a Facebook post. The longtime store has been in the same building since 1918 and was purchased by the Tonelli family in 1965. Jerry took over the store in 1978 following the death of his father and has worked with family members like his brother, Paul, who also owns a share of the business. With other relatives uninterested in taking over the business, Jerry began measures to close up, including thanking loyal customers and patients. The Tonelli family's pharmaceutical run began when Dino Tonelli, Jerry's father, began working at the store in 1949. The late employee had graduated from a pharmacy school at UCSF and served in World War II before taking over the business, but not before meeting his wife. 'My mother started working here when she was 16, and she died in 2023 at the age of 96,' Jerry told CBS News. 'So, she had quite a run here, and this was her favorite part of the store because she used to do all the buying for the cosmetics, for the perfumes.' His parents teamed up in keeping the business strong before Dino's death, leaving Jerry to learn by 'trial and error' in his thirties. The soon-to-be-retiree managed to keep the business going and made new friends along the way that were grateful for his help. 'We get a lot of people from other countries that don't have health insurance and don't want to see a doctor,' he revealed. 'They'll come in and ask this and ask that and try to treat them with over-the-counter medication to help them out.' Several customers have shared memories and in store experiences on social media Many customers have shared memories and stories of how Central Drug Store has helped them in some way while growing up. 'As a young girl in the 50s my mom, Tosca Chiantelli and I came in your store every Saturday and looked at everything in the displays and picked up prescriptions and necessities,' a Facebook user wrote. The customer continued by saying she visited the pharmacy regularly in the 70s and 80s, and how happy she was about the pharmacy continuing to help her parents for decades. 'I used to love going into the drugstore with my mom as a little girl. Silvana was always my favorite at the make up counter,' another social media user commented. Longtime customer Fran Colombo has been going to the store for the last 50 years explained the family would make everyone feel special as soon as they walk in the door. She was also touched by Jerry escorting her husband to his car, saying his action went 'above and beyond.' Now that the store is shuttering, Colombo is trying to figure out what to do next, and is questioning what other customers will do. 'I'm kind of computer savvy, but what about the people who aren't, who are just used to the walking in and calling in a prescription and walking in and picking it up? What are they going to do?,' she asked. Jerry was concerned the pharmacy would shut down because of pharmaceutical empires Jerry admitted that one of his biggest concerns was independent pharmacies being forced out by various pharmaceutical empires. However, some of those companies have been struggling in recent years. Rite Aid, a once-popular chain with over 5,000 stores, filed for bankruptcy in 2023 and again in May this year. It is now planning to shutter all its stores. The status of CVS has also been concerning since the chain planned to close 900 stores by the end of 2024. Currently operating over 9,000 US locations, CVS is also set to shutter hundreds of stores this year. If that wasn't enough, Walgreens has been in the process of shuttering 1,200 stores, including 450 this year. While the pharmaceutical crisis continues to be on the rise, Jerry will be busy golfing, spending time with family, and continuing to help people by volunteering at hospitals or shelters.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Legendary Drug Store Officially Closing After 117 Years
An iconic drug store is officially closing its doors after more than 100 years. As several prominent national chains are shuttering some of their stores due to an increase in online delivery, rent prices and more, one local California drug store has remained opened for more than 100 years. However, that will no longer be the case moving forward. A 117-year-old drug store is officially closing for good on July 15, its owner announced this month. The store's owner, Jerry Tonelli, is headed for retirement. 'It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement,' Tonelli wrote on Central Drug Store's Facebook page in early June. 'We are a small, but mighty, pharmacy. And we are proud to say that we outlasted Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and mail order services. I am pleased to say this is my choice and I am leaving on my own terms! It is time for all of us to start a new phase in our lives and spend more time with our families.' It's been a family-run business for more than 100 years. 'We've had pretty much the same customers over the years, and then their children, and then their children's children,' Tonelli told the Chronicle. 'It's just a whole cycle of life that we've seen come through here, and it's funny, because after a while it becomes part of your social life.' Unfortunately, closures like this have become a theme in the San Francisco, California area. SFGate reported that at least 64 San Francisco-area pharmacies have closed over the last 10 years. Central Drug Store in the Excelsior District has become the latest drug store to join that list. Legendary Drug Store Officially Closing After 117 Years first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 29, 2025
San Francisco Chronicle
26-06-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
This 117-year-old San Francisco neighborhood pharmacy is closing
It seemed like a belated reunion was unfolding Wednesday at 4494 Mission St. Outside, the old men and women visiting were greeted by the familiar red neon words in cursive as they entered the dimly-lit drug store many of them had frequented for decades. It wasn't long before laughter rang through the building while the sounds of clinking bottles and package rustling aired in the backdrop. In less than a month, against many of the community's wishes, the Central Drug Store will permanently shutter. Located in the Excelsior district, the pharmacy announced this month it will permanently close on July 15 — 117 years after it opened in 1908. At 71, owner Jerry Tonelli said he will retire after working at the pharmacy since high school, after his father took over the store in 1965. 'We've had pretty much the same customers over the years, and then their children, and then their children's children,' said Tonelli, dressed in his daily navy blue work uniform. 'It's just a whole cycle of life that we've seen come through here, and it's funny, because after a while it becomes part of your social life.' The closure of Central Drug joins a growing list of pharmacies shuttered in past years in what's increasingly turned out to be a pharmacy shortage across San Francisco. Fifty-one pharmacies in San Francisco have closed since 2015, Supervisor Jackie Fielder's office told the Chronicle in February. Another dozen were projected to close this year. Central Drug is the oldest operating business in Excelsior district today, according to San Francisco Legacy Businesses. Mario Gentile, 67, who grew up with Tonelli, remembers often coming to the pharmacy to peruse the comic book selection during his childhood. Jerry Garcia, one of the founders of famed American rock band Grateful Dead, also sometimes showed up, Gentile recounted. But on Wednesday, Gentile came to drop off his prescription request, perhaps his last at the location. 'It's my only place, I refuse to use anybody else,' said Gentile, whose family ran a shoe repair store on the same block as the pharmacy. 'I am going to miss coming in and meeting the community, the people I grew up with.' After undergoing many transformations through the years, the store is now lined with shelves of everything from candy, colognes, lotions, shampoos, to medical equipment and birthday cards. Behind the counter of the register is also a walk down memory lane. Tonelli, who has worked at the store for more than 50 years, beamed with pride pointing to a painting of the storefront a former employee made for him. He also showed a large board pinned with photos that customers had gifted him. 'Sometimes you feel like you're either a priest or psychiatrist, because you listen to their problems, or they talk to you about their kids,' Tonelli chuckled. Camacho Southerland, 86, has been coming to Tonelli's since a little after she moved to the neighborhood with her family in 1968. She first met Tonelli's father, who was still running the store at the time, and soon became a regular for medicine. Southerland, who was there Wednesday to pick up some prescriptions and a heating pad, said her son also often comes to Central Drug Store. 'It's so sad, Jerry is wonderful,' said Southerland. 'We're going to miss him and the convenience of coming here.' After his retirement, Tonelli said he plans to travel the country, spend time with his grandchildren and take on golf. The building will most likely be sold, and most of his customers will likely transfer their prescriptions to Daniel's Pharmacy on Geneva Avenue, Tonelli said. One customer, Steve Ginesi, 74, said he grew up in the area from elementary through high school and would occasionally come to the shop with his grandmother. When he heard the news of the store's closure, Ginesi said he knew he needed to come back one more time. Now a Sonoma County resident, he hadn't been inside Central Drug for 30 years. He stocked up a few books and stickypads during his visit Wednesday. 'It kind of looks the same,' said Ginesi, gesturing at the room. 'The first thing I did was to look over the corner, and I would usually spend a lot of time at the corner of the store.' In his years as a pharmacist, Tonelli said he has come to learn more than a few things about what the job takes. 'I think you need a lot of patience, compassion and the ability to talk to people and explain things,' Tonelli said. 'I think a lot of times, people come in, they're looking for help, they have a question or they need their medication. You have to be patient and a good listener.' Tonelli said more than anything, he's proud of serving the community he grew up in.
CBS News
24-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
San Francisco pharmacy established in 1908 will close its doors in July
It's the end of an era for one longtime pharmacy drugstore in San Francisco. Central Drug Store in the Excelsior District will be closing its doors on July 15 after over 100 years. Owner Jerry Tonelli announced he will be retiring. "This is my father here, Dino Tonelli. He started working here in 1949 after he graduated from pharmacy school at UCSF. And he was a WW2 veteran," Jerry Tonelli, the pharmacist owner of Central Drug Store, told CBS News Bay Area. Generations of San Franciscans have picked up their prescriptions since the pharmacy first opened in 1908, and it's been at the 4494 Mission Street location since 1918, according to its Legacy Business Registry application. "You come in, you know these people, you know their children," Tonelli said. "Sometimes you feel like you're a priest or psychiatrist because they come in with problems, and you try to help them out." The business is also the scene of a sweet love story: His parents met at the drug store, as his mother was also an employee. "My mother started working here when she was 16, and she died in 2023 at the age of 96. So, she had quite a run here, and this was her favorite part of the store because she used to do all the buying for the cosmetics, for the perfumes," Tonelli said. His parents eventually took ownership of the pharmacy and have been prominent community members. "I was only in my 30s when my father passed away, and all of a sudden, to take over the business and run it, was learning by trial and error," Tonelli said. He adds that it has been a great run, meeting new friends along the way. "We get a lot of people from other countries that don't have health insurance and don't want to see a doctor. They'll come in and ask this and ask that and try to treat them with over-the-counter medication to help them out," he said. And now, he shared that his decision to close is bittersweet. Tonelli said he is concerned about independent pharmacies that are essentially being forced out by corporations. "The city started letting Walgreens come into the city, and what happened then was they usually opened up next to the independent, and eventually the independent had to close," he said. Fran Colombo, who has been going to Central Drug Store for the past 50 years, has been hit hard by the news of the closure. She said the Tonelli family has become great friends throughout the years. "They make everybody feel that walks through that door, that they're special," Colombo said. "There are just no words to explain the love that they give out. And in turn, you give it back to them." She shared how Tonelli had helped her late husband when he was picking up his medications. "When he came out, Jerry had his arm and was walking him to our car. And I will never forget that. That is what you call going above and beyond," Colombo said. She added that it is concerning for older patients in the community who don't have many resources to access the healthcare they need. "I'm kind of computer savvy, but what about the people who aren't, who are just used to the walking in and calling in a prescription and walking in and picking it up? What are they going to do?" Colombo said. She said that she will cherish all the memories that she and her family made along the way at their pharmacy. And in the meantime, Tonelli plans to continue providing the best care while he is still open. He added, he is also looking forward to spending time with his family and sharpen his golf skillsets. Tonelli wanted to share that his passion to serve won't stop. "Try to do some volunteer work somewhere and try to help the people out at a hospital or a shelter," he said. Until he writes his last prescription, Tonelli will be right here opening his doors with a smile, like he's been doing all this time.
