Charlie and Angie Pierce opened the Milford Pharmacy 20 years ago to fill a need in the community.
“There was no free-standing pharmacy in Milford when we opened,” Charlie said. “We saw a need in the community for a nice little pharmacy, so we created a plan and opened up.”
What the Pierces found were patrons who reciprocated with kindness and an endless supply of smiles.
“The clientele in Milford is by far the nicest I've worked with,” said Pierce. “The clientele is exceptional and pleasant to deal with.”
Pierce has decided, however, the time has come to move on from the pharmacy.
“I'm a very passionate person and when I do something, I do it 100 percent and do it to the best of my ability. I don't do things halfway,” he said. “I got to the point where I didn't have that drive and passion to operate as much. It just seemed like it was time to move on and turn it over to younger hands to operate.”
In steps new owner Travis Maloley, who took ownership and operation of the pharmacy on June 8. Maloley, who's wife, Katy, is a Milford native, ran the pharmacy in Lexington, Neb. for the last 10 years.
Maloley jumped at the chance at owning the Milford pharmacy because of the reputation Charlie built and his family's love of the community.
“Milford is the hometown of my wife, Katy. We both have great pride in our hometowns and we already knew how friendly the town was,” Maloley said. “We have really enjoyed the community so far and we’re glad to see the pharmacy be able to continue.”
Maloley said he's excited to assume ownership from Charlie and hopes to keep up the mission of the pharmacy while becoming a part of Milford's makeup.
“We really like the small town feel that Milford has,” he said. “You get that feeling that people care and want you to be successful.”
He added that he's ready to continue the legacy the Pierces built and hopes to keep the pharmacy as an asset to Milford.
We appreciate Charlie and everything that he did for the pharmacy, and we hope to continue his legacy,” Maloley said. “We also want everyone to know that we care about each individuals health and hope to make a positive impact on the community.”
Charlie Pierce said he's pleased that someone was willing to purchase the pharmacy and keep it local. Selling the prescription files to operations out of town was a possibility, but not one Pierce strongly considered.
“Some other stores showed interest in purchasing prescription files, which means they would've closed the pharmacy here but that was not an option,” he said. “I was not going to do that to the community. It's very important to me that Milford still had these services available.”
Pierce looks back on his 20 years in service and said he's content with the impact he made on the community. He said that the people who supported the pharmacy made the job enjoyable and he hopes patrons treat the new ownership with the same respect.
“We would like to thank the community for its loyal patronage throughout the years and hope they'll support the new ownership that'll keep it up and running,” he said. “It's been a pleasure. Milford is a great town.”
