After more than forty years in business, the Dexter Pharmacy closed its doors abruptly in late August. “The Dexter Pharmacy family is hurting and would appreciate your compassion and understanding,” owner Marni Schmid wrote on the pharmacy’s website. “I fully understand that this will hurt some in the community as well … and that everyone is greatly inconvenienced by the store closing and I am sorry. I did the best I could to make the best decisions in a really crappy situation.”
Founded by Schmid’s father, Fred, in 1976, the Dexter Pharmacy was the only one in the city. The nearest options for residents now are in Chelsea or Ann Arbor. Schmid has transferred all her customers’ prescriptions to the Walgreens at the corner of Jackson Rd. and Maple in Ann Arbor, and calls are redirected there.
She ended her online letter with a plea: “Please be kind to each other and to the people who used to work here, they are members of this community and deserve your compassion. This is a family that is hurting–if you could have attended the employee meeting and listened to the stories and seen the faces, you would see just how difficult this is for the 40+ of us directly affected by the store closing.”
On the pharmacy’s Facebook page, customers shared memories of the business and wished the Schmid family and their employees well.
“When my kids were little they loved to get their toys there,” wrote Nikki Smith. “Thank you all for some wonderful memories.” Craig Matteson added, “Running an independent family community pharmacy nowadays isn’t just hard, it is downright heroic! Praise and thanks to Dexter Pharmacy for fighting the good fight!”
