Libby's Pharmacy Closes

Abruptly, in late September, Libby's Pharmacy closed. Known for its ice cream and the personal service of owner and pharmacist Rick Libby, the independently owned Mountain Ave. pharmacy became a beloved institution over the course of its five years in business.

"It was really like a sudden thing," longtime Libby's employee Jeffrey Gordon said. "We couldn't tell any customers."

After the store closed for good on Tuesday, Sept. 28, Libby's prescriptions were taken over by CVS. But while residents can still get their medication, Gordon said he believed the store will be missed for other reasons.

"I just feel bad for the community," he said. "They are losing a bright spot they once had."

Gordon said the store was prized for its ice cream and its one-on-one service. He said owner Rick Libby worked marathon hours at the store, striving to give each customer personalized care. Libby, who now works as a pharmacist at CVS (he declined to comment further on CVS's relationship with the store), said he struggled with the idea of closing the store.

"It was a financial and a personal decision," Libby said of the store's closing. "The way health care is going… it's a tough business to be in."

He described the hauling up stakes as "bittersweet." He was proud of what he accomplished with the store, but said he finally concluded he needed to spend more time with his family.

"I was working 70 to 80 hours a week," he said. A Springfield resident, Libby was proud of how his store galvanized the township.

"I felt really good for creating something for the community," Libby said, adding that when he closed shop it felt like "losing 1,000 friends."

But he indicated that the era of independent pharmacies might be ending, with the pharmaceutical business's emphasis on mail order eating into brick and mortar pharmacies.

"It's tougher, I don't know when it's going to end," Libby said.

Nonetheless, he stressed that the end of the store was not a sad story—"that's not the person I am," he said"—and that he looked forward with optimism to how the CVS could serve the community.

"It's been an honor and a good experience," Libby said. "It was a labor of love. I loved doing what I was doing, but with the hours and the uncertainty of the pharmacy, I had to weigh everything and figure out what was right for me."