DE PERE — It was the closing of Shopko that sparked the idea for Sarah Bowker. She had been a part of Shopko’s team for years and helping others became what drove her.
"It's not just the job,” said Bowker. “It's way more than that. Helping people, be healthy and happy is what it's all about."
Bowker says when things started to get rough at Shopko, she visited the Hometown Pharmacy in Appleton.
"I fell in love,” said Bowker. “They're very about nutrition and helping heal patients through food and supplements so it's exactly where I wanted to take pharmacy."
She stayed with Shopko until the end. From there, she started building her own business.
"I’d run into an old patient and they would cry to me, you know, about the service they were getting now, and it just seemed right."
She says she didn't realize how much people missed the hometown feel they got when they went into a place like Shopko and that's exactly what she's trying to provide at her new pharmacy.
"I think the big difference is we're going to be small town,” Bowker said. “We're going to know you name when you walk in."
Bowker also says they're doing more than what a traditional pharmacy might offer.
"We want to bring pharmacy to a greater level in terms of taking time with the patient, doing consults in the back, going through maybe what they're missing nutritionally."
While Bowker says it is overwhelming at times, she's excited for what's to come.
A ribbon cutting is scheduled Thursday for the grand opening. The store will start filling prescriptions on September 9th.
