Pharmacist Zachary Warrington has been serving in the industry for ten years and recently decided it was time to open his own business.
“We felt that there was a need here in Cleveland for a hometown drugstore, family owned and operated, and that’s what we’re here to do,” said Warrington.
Originally from Clarksdale, Warrington said he moved to Cleveland when he was nine, and attended school at Presbyterian Day School, as well as Cleveland High School, before going on to Delta State for his bachelor’s degree. He then moved to Tennessee for his doctorate in Pharmacy before coming back to Cleveland in 2014 and taking a job with North Sunflower. He worked for five years in Ruleville and then transitioned to Haire in Cleveland for five years before deciding to fulfill his dream and start his own Pharmacy.
“January 6th was our first day in the store,” said Warrington. “We officially announced we were here on January 13th. So we’re in our second official week of business here, and I am thrilled by the turnout we’ve received and the support we’ve received from Cleveland and the surrounding communities.”
According to Warrington, there are no other owner operated pharmacies in Cleveland since South Street Pharmacy closed.
“There are some independents, but they’re not family owned,” said Warrington. “They’re owned by either outside entities or outside people and staffed locally.”
Since starting his business, Warrington said the only thing he hadn’t experienced previously was directly contacting insurance companies about getting into their networks.
“That was a learning process, but luckily, we’ve navigated it and we’re happy with where we’re at at this point,” said Warrington. “We’re currently taking almost all insurances. But, if anyone has any further questions, please call us to inquire. We’re easy to get a hold of.”
Currently in store, Warrington said “outside of your traditional prescription drugs”, they sell a range of over-the-counter options for cough, cold, and pain as well as bandages and first aid.
“What I’m also excited about is offering a full line of organic remedies,” said Warrington. “Complimentary-type stuff to your traditional pharmaceuticals. We teamed up with a brand called Row Casa Organics for that. We’ve got Pure Encapsulations, who we’re offering all of our supplements through. They’re a high-quality, really nice brand.”
Warrington said he is also working with SolutionsRx, which is a pharmacist-led company based in Iuka, Mississippi.
“They make some really good probiotics, sleep aids, a whole bunch of supplements, but it really goes hand-in-hand with the Pure Encapsulations that we’re offering, too,” said Warrington.
Moving forward, Warrington said he plans on offering immunizations in the next couple months, and he is currently working on creating relationships with suppliers to offer medical equipment options, such as: CPAPs, nebulizers for breathing treatments, wheelchairs, walkers, rollators, etc.
“As a pharmacist, we’re licensed to offer immunizations to our patients,” said Warrington. “We’re really excited about our medical equipment. We’re finishing up all of our accreditation with that, and that’s really going to take off, probably in the next month or two, as well.”
When choosing which pharmacy to use, people have to look at a lot of factors. In recent years one of the biggest questions they have been facing is, will my pharmacy even have the medicine I need? Warrington believes he has a way to mitigate that issue.
“Drug shortages are something that plagues our industry all the time,” said Warrington.
Warrington believes he has an advantage in this area because, “being an independent pharmacy we’re not tied in to some of the larger chains”. This means he does not have the same contracts and he has the ability to look at other options to find medications.
“These larger chains have their own network of suppliers, whereas I am just contracted with a wholesaler, a small wholesaler out of Louisiana,” said Warrington. “If they can’t get it for me, they can usually find it for me, and I’ve also got a secondary wholesaler.”
Although they still deal with drug shortages, Warrington said being an independent pharmacy allows them access to more avenues as far as acquiring medications that might otherwise be difficult to find for larger companies using larger wholesalers.
“There’s certain allocations and things like that, which we’re not necessarily bound to,” said Warrington. “This allows us to usually have a more consistent flow of medications than the chains do.”
As a Pharmacist, Warrington feels it is extremely important to get to know his customers and build relationships with them.
“You want to come somewhere where somebody knows you, then that’s us,” said Warrington. “I’m here to get to know you. I’m going to know you when you walk in the door. It’s all about communication, and that’s what we’re here for. We’re here to take care of you. I’ve got people coming in every day that know me and want to come be part of this, and we’re excited about it.”
According to Warrington, being an independent pharmacy allows them to provide a better service than chains can. He is completely staffed and believes he has a good team in place to cater to the communities’ needs.
Warrington said after looking at the surrounding areas and seeing the lack of options in places like Rosedale and Shaw, he has decided to not only offer 100% free delivery to those in Cleveland, but he will also soon be delivering to Rosedale on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week.
“I have decided to deliver to Shaw on Wednesday and Fridays,” said Warrington. “I’ve already got a couple of customers who are interested and that’s why they’re coming over.”
During his time in this industry, Warrington has found that there are a lot of issues with our elderly not having transportation options available to them.
“For somebody in Rosedale, that’s a long trek to cover,” said Warrington. “So if I can provide that to them, just drop it off at their door, then that’s a no-brainer, since there’s no pharmacy in Rosedale. We’re there to help them out.”
Along with a “really good, up-to-date pharmacy software system”, Warrington said they offer an app, RX365, where customers can manage their prescriptions and message directly back and forth with the pharmacy staff if they have questions or concerns. Customers just search out Commerce Rx and register with their information.
If you would like to learn more about Commerce Rx, you can follow them on Facebook and Instagram, visit their website, https://commercerxcleveland.com/, or visit 117 Commerce Ave in Cleveland during their hours of operation. They are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.