JANE PODGORNIK HAS been sales floor manager at The Drug Store in Iron Mountain’s Midtown Mall for more than 10 years. Podgornik is shown here with a Christmas baby outfit. (Jim Paul/Daily News photo)
IRON MOUNTAIN — The Drug Store is a small-town pharmacy that offers much more than prescription services.
In the Midtown Mall since 1976, The Drug Store also has locations in Crystal Falls and Norway and employs 64 people between the three sites. The Drug Store is affiliated with the Hometown Pharmacy chain.
The Drug Store has been owned by Steve and Mary Jane Roell since 2004, and in recent years Jordan and Brooke Marchetti have become partners in the business.
According to Sales Floor Manager Jane Podgornik, The Drug Store combines gifts and pharmacy services to make itself stand out from other pharmacies in the area. Podgornik has been with The Drug Store for more than 10 years.
“We carry a unique blend of different merchandise. From the wellness center to our gift store, we have a large department of baby clothes, women’s clothes, gifts and candy,” Podgornik said. “We have a variety for everybody and a price point, too — you can come in and buy a gift for $5 or you can buy one for $150.”
THE DRUG STORE is in the Midtown Mall, 1112 S. Stephenson Ave. in Iron Mountain. Other locations are in Norway and Crystal Falls. (Jim Paul/Daily News photo)
The Drug Store used to be more traditional in its offerings and the gift shop and candy store were run as separate businesses, but for the shopper’s convenience they were all consolidated.
“Customers love it because if they’re waiting for a prescription, they can shop around the store, look for maybe a gift or something for themselves, you know, so that works out really well for us,” Podgornik said.
Having Walgreens nearby has not hurt The Drug Store at all.
“We have a lot of customers that come to our pharmacy because we do have excellent customer service, our pharmacists are top-notch and so are our techs,” Podgornik said. “We give the best service we can.”
The holiday season is a busy time of the year for The Drug Store, with a large portion of the store dedicated to holiday items. Preparation for the next holiday season will begin in January, even as what little remains of the previous year’s merchandise is being taken down.
Holiday merchandise is set up toward the end of
October and an open house is held the first weekend of November, then it’s full speed ahead. Purchases during the holiday period make up a significant portion of The Drug Store’s yearly floor sales, Podgornik said.
“Tremendous, we have a huge open house, then Black Friday and Small Business Saturday is always excellent for us and we run sales throughout the whole month of December,” she said, adding, “We appreciate all of the customer loyalty during these days.”
During the holidays, customers can expect to find expanded candy offerings, women’s clothing baby clothes, ornaments, decorations, toys, jams, sauces, popcorn and seasoning, tea, coffee, honey and candles, among other things. Many of the Christmas items are unique to The Drug Store, including Christmas ornaments made locally by Michelle Theobald.
After the holiday season, the gallery that houses most of the holiday offerings is transformed to carry traditional gifts. The Drug Store has large selections for Valentine’s Day, Easter and the fall season as well.
The Drug Store also carries a large variety of Upper Michigan products such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers and keychains. The Drug Store is one of the area’s largest dealers of Stormy Kromer merchandise, including their hats, coats, flannel shirts and mittens, Podgornik said.
There is also a baby department with a large selection. “We have a wide range of clothes, from newborn size up to 5T. We have pajamas, everyday outfits, blankets, anything that you need for a baby or little toddler,” she said. “There is always something unique in the baby department; our customers love it.”
Though no longer its own store, The Drug Store still has an impressive candy counter with chocolates by Abdallah Candies, Door County Confectionery and Sayklly’s Candies.
The Drug Store is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.