Caledonia Drugs celebrates
25 years in business
Posted: 9/2/03
by Jane Palen
Managing editor
Rick Sime, owner of Caledonia Drugs, said he never actually made a conscious decision to settle in Caledonia. It was more a matter of a golden opportunity that happened to present itself. That golden opportunity just marked a silver anniversaryóSimeís 25th year of serving the health care needs of Caledonia residents.
Sime was working with the late Don Rice at Rice Pharmacy when he heard that Renner Drug Store had been sold. He went to congratulate Fred Renner on the sale, and was told that it had fallen through.
ìI asked him how much he was asking and he named a good price,î recalled Sime. After consulting a friend who was knowledgeable on such matters, he decided to make an offer. On September 1, 1978, the store became his and was renamed Caledonia Drugs.
At that time, the drug store was located at 108 South Kingston. After two years, the business grew out of that location and moved down the street to larger quarters at 210 South Kingston, former home of Gensmer Hardware. They planned to move into the new location on November 1, 1980.
The weekend before the move, Rick married Sherry Stenerson, and they spent their honeymoon moving boxes to the new store.
When opening day arrived, Rick was rousted at 6 a.m. by a call from his landlord, Paul Gensmer, who had walked by and noticed water pouring into the store. When Sime arrived, he discovered that a toilet in an upstairs apartment had not shut off, and water was running out of the handle, through the floor into the store, and onto all the merchandise that had just been moved. He called his new bride to bring all the towels in the house, and then got the owner of the hardware store to open up so he could get drop cloths to cover the merchandise. Instead of a moving in sale, Caledonia Drugs ended up having a flood sale. Sime spent most of the day drilling holes in the fluted tin ceiling to let the rest of the water flow out.
Itís a good thing Sime was used to the unexpected challenges that can arise when you own a small business. His parents were independent business owners, so he grew up understanding the responsibilities that come with ownership.
Throughout his 25 years in business, Sime has been fortunate to have dedicated employees. Two of his earliest were Alvina Rask and Lavina Lange.
ìIt took three weeks to figure out what to call who,î said Sime. They settled on Alvina and Vi. Alvina retired for health reasons in January of 2000, but Vi still works at the store part-time. Pharmacy technician Judy Dougherty has been at Caledonia Drugs for 18 years. Shar Shroeder and Jan Burroughs work part-time. Through the years, he has had between 20 and 30 part-time employees. Fred Von Fischer is his relief pharmacist.
After 25 years in the same town, itís interesting to note that one of the reasons Sime became a pharmacist was because of the portability of the job.
ìYou can always move from one community to the next,î Sime pointed out. Another reason, as was pointed out by a former girlfriend they were in college, was that it paid better than the teaching career he had been planning. With a strong background in chemistry and math, it was a good fit, he said. The idea of being a part of the health care profession and having the opportunity to help others was also part of the decision. He graduated from the pharmacy school at UW-Madison in 1969.
Sime said one of the biggest challenges of starting out in business when he did was the economy. In the late 1970s and into the 1980s, interest rates soared to unprecedented levels. At 18 to 20 percent interest, he pointed out, a tube of toothpaste he sold for a dollar would cost him $1.39.
ìIt was hard to stay ahead,î he said.
He was lucky, he said, that he had a supportive wife that made a good living.
In the last 25 years, computers have changed the way drug stores do business, noted Sime. It was in March of 1994 that they began to computerize, and they went live in May of that year.
ìWe had to go to computer because the state would not accept claims otherwise,î said Sime. ìIf we wanted to do business with the state, we had to.î They upgraded their computer system in 1998.
Computers, of course, are a mixed blessing. Two weeks ago, a virus shut down the system on two consecutive days.
ìWhen things go well itís a rewarding job. Other days, itís frustrating,î said Sime.
Sime believes it was the right choice to settle in Caledonia.
ìItís been good,î he said. ìEvery town has its own uniqueness. There is a good school system, and good medical care and dental care.î He and Sherry have two children, Nikki, who is a junior at CHS, and Drew, a freshman. In his spare time, he enjoys family-oriented activities such as boating, fishing, and riding four-wheelers on some acreage he owns in the country. But in a six-day a week job, there isnít a lot of spare time.
Helping people maintain their health and lifestyle is a rewarding part of the business, said Sime.
ìEvery now and then, we have a chance to make some sort of intervention and make a difference,î he commented. By staying informed, people can make good decisions that affect their health.
ìThatís all part of it, talking to people and giving advice,î said Sime. He wants people to know that they should not hesitate to ask questions on their medications or over the counter preparations.
ìNo question is stupid,î said Sime. ìEvery question deserves an answer. If you have a concern, feel free to ask.î
Caledonia Drugs will be marking its 25th anniversary with an open house all day during store hours on Friday, September 5. Refreshments will be served and door prizes awarded. All are welcome.
©The Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com