Full-line independent pharmacy Davies Drugs Inc. has been a strong player in the Canton market for more than 40 years, despite the large chain drugstores popping up on every corner.
When Dave Fettman bought the store in 1963, his son, Steve, was 6 weeks old. Today, Steve is owner and president of the company, and his brothers, Michael and Matthew, serve as store manager and pharmacist, respectively.
Following the motto, “More than a friend, we’re family,” Davies Drugs offers free local prescription delivery Monday through Saturday, specializes in in-store compounding of medications, offers hard-to-find products and can order and receive pharmacy items the next day through its Columbus-based supplier.
“I think the chains shy away from (prescription compounding) because it’s a little bit more time-consuming, and that’s probably the biggest issue,” Steve Fettman says.
In addition to providing in-home diabetic shoe fittings, Davies Drugs carries braces and support hosiery. The store was recently accepted by Aultcare, the largest hospital-based PPO in Northeast Ohio, to be a durable medical equipment supplier of diabetic, urological and ostomy supplies.
“When they first came in, they limited us to three categories, and I was thinking that this wouldn’t be very much work at all but it was really overwhelming,” Fettman says. “I never imagined that there were that many people out there who needed the diabetic supplies or anything else because up until that time, we were excluded from their network.”
Now, Fettman hopes to receive Aultcare’s blessing to add ambulatory aids, nebulizers and aerosol machines to its product line.
Innovative thinking inspired Fettman to open a medical facility behind the store last year, named in memory of his father, who died in 2002. The 10,000-square-foot David A. Fettman Professional Building houses the practices of Dr. Albert Domingo and Dr. Robert Hamilton. Foot traffic from those offices has increased Davies Drugs’ prescription business, and Fettman hopes to add a third practice.
“We’ve been here for a long time, and we know most of the people who come in by their first name, and I think that that’s important,” he says. “Find out what your customers need and look at it from (their) standpoint. … Then adjust your business to suit what they need.”
HOW TO REACH:
Davies Drugs Inc., (330) 454-5151 or www.daviesdrugs.com
