A pharmacist is serving up more than prescriptions after turning half of his new premises into a coffee shop.
It’s a trend that was popular in 40s America and James Semple hopes his Inverclyde venture, believed to be the first of its kind in Scotland, will lead to more “soda pop chemists ”.
TLC Pharmacy, on Kip Park, Inverkip, has a barista and seating, where customers can enjoy a coffee while they wait for their prescriptions. The idea came to James after he realised customers were using supermarkets to purchase everyday medical items.
He said: “Inverkip has a young thriving population and there is no coffee shop.
“Soda pop drug stores were popular in the states.
“People would pop in for a cherry coke, read the papers, meet friends and just take a breather. They’d collect their medicines then get on with the rest of their day.
“It was a simpler time. We moved into a unit that used to be a restaurant and inherited the coffee machine so we had the idea of stripping out the entire retail side of the pharmacy because almost everything is available in the supermarket next door and using the space, and the outdoor seating area, to create a coffee shop.
James added: “We are also using eco-friendly coffee to do our bit for the environment and it gives some young local people employment.
“At the moment we have Zano, our barista, and elise working on the coffee side of things while the pharmacy is running as normal.
“It’s proving popular with the locals who are looking forward to us opening tomorrow.
“We’re a community pharmacy with lots of benefits and we think it will strengthen our links with the community and especially some of our older clients who may enjoy some company while they’re waiting on prescriptions.
“We want people to feel relaxed while at the same time knowing we are still providing for their medical needs.
“Pharmacists have been on the frontline during the pandemic and offering many services, this is just another string to our bow.”
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