It used to be that every small village had its own drugstore, but these days communities with their own, locally owned drugstore/pharmacy are rare. The Village of Hilton is fortunate to have its own “corner drugstore” in the Hilton Family Pharmacy and Coffee Corner located at 32 Main Street.
The pharmacy is at heart a family-run business. Pharmacist/Pharmacy Manager Peter Miles says his father, James Miles, owns the business, and the parent company based in Medina also runs a pharmacy there (Rosenkrans Pharmacy) and the Oakfield Family Pharmacy in Oakfield, Genesee County, in addition to the Hilton store.
The business offers a full-service independent pharmacy and much more for customers. There is a full-range of over-the-counter vitamins, cold care products, first aid items, as well as durable medical equipment, a full-range of gift items, greeting cards, gift wrap – both cards and gift wrap are always 50 percent off – seasonal items, nostalgic candy, Yankee Candle and more.
The “Coffee Corner” which is housed in the store, offers both hot and cold drink options including specialty drinks.
“It’s what Hilton needed when we came here,” Peter observes about the business.
“Our volume is increasing, our business is increasing,” Peter says. “Most of the people in Hilton like small business and like supporting local businesses.”
Q: What are some of the challenges you face?
One challenge, Peter explains, is bringing younger families in who live in local housing developments. Another is the nature of the business itself.
Healthcare is a difficult business, he says. “The challenge is to find where we fit into the health care model.”
The pharmacy is always pursuing new opportunities to serve the community by offering services like Medication Therapy Management (MTM) – which works to optimize drug therapy and improve therapeutic outcomes for patients – immunizations, flu vaccines and veterinary compounding. Peter explains you can have your pet prescriptions filled at Hilton Family Pharmacy, often times at a savings over purchasing them from the veterinarian.
Q. How do you keep the business growing?
Personal customer service is the key, Peter says. The Hilton Pharmacy must overcome the challenge of people who like the convenience of shopping at big box stores and simply filling their prescriptions while they are there.
To counter that, Peter and full-time pharmacy technician/assistant manager Tracy Urbonas work together to assure the customer at Hilton Family Pharmacy is well-served and happy. For example, there is an actual person who answers the phone when you call – no answering machine.
“Most of the time, I find I’m marketing myself,” Peter explains. He says he has worked to create a relationship based on trust with his customers. “It’s the relationship that really matters to people,” he says. “It’s the little things that help you stay viable in the marketplace and get a leg-up on big box competition.”
As an independent pharmacy, Peter says he is not burdened by corporate policies which often are implemented, “at the expense of the person standing in front of me.”
Q: What about the coffee shop?
Peter says he never considered having a “coffee bar” as part of the pharmacy; however, before opening, people repeatedly asked him, “… Will you have coffee?”
He was able to purchase some used equipment and decided to give it a try. The gamble paid off and Peter has upgraded his equipment.
“It’s a good draw,” he says of the coffee. “People who don’t know the pharmacy is here, know the coffee shop.” In fact, when the pharmacy first opened in 2007, Peter remembers he spent more time filling coffee cups than filling prescriptions. He offers Finger Lakes Coffee products.
The coffee shop is busy early in the morning, he says. Teachers on their way to school often stop in around 6:30 a.m.
Q: What about the future?
Peter says he sees more compounding services – preparing customized medications for patients – including the veterinary compounding – in the future.
“To keep growing the business, we need to provide something in Hilton that’s few and far between,” he says. “We need to keep people happy to keep people coming in.”
November 16, 2014
