Stacy and Levent Guldal met when he was delivering beer to the Stadium Market. Now they have their own pharmacy in the West Stadium Shopping Center. | Photo by J. Adrian Wylie
Nestled between Baskin-Robbins and Little Caesars in the West Stadium Shopping Center, a new independent pharmacy aims to provide a personal touch in an increasingly commodified industry.
Ann Arbor Drugs is a mom-and-pop shop run by pharmacist Levent Guldal and his wife Stacy, an Ann Arbor native (“Lawton, Slauson, Pioneer”). She’s likely the first face entering customers will see.
Raised in Brooklyn, New York, Guldal came to Ann Arbor to start college but ended up spending fourteen years driving for a beer distributor. He met Stacy while doing a delivery at Stadium Market. They’ve been married seventeen years; their son Alexander goes to Skyline High.
Guldal was prompted to pursue a new career when he developed blood clots: a long-term need for the anticoagulant medication warfarin led him to cultivate a relationship with pharmacist Al Knaak, who became a key mentor. (Now retired, Knaak was co-owner of the former Village Pharmacy II in Maple Village and finished his career at the Jackson Rd. Walgreens.)
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In 2019, Guldal earned his doctor of pharmacy degree from Creighton University, whose program combines distance learning with hands-on lab sessions at its Omaha, Nebraska, campus.
He worked for Rite Aid in the Flint and Lansing areas but found the corporate culture stifling. “They don’t really let you give the type of customer care that I prefer to give,” he says, adding that he also got blowback for having Alexander shadow him on Take Your Child to Work Day. “You can’t bring your kid to work? C’mon!”
His new workplace, last occupied by hydroponics retailer Cultivation Station in 2019, offers his own coffeepot, microwave, and space for family members. It’s also equipped with a cleanroom so he can do his own compounding—preparing, mixing, and altering drug ingredients to tailor prescribed medication to an individual patient’s (or pet’s) needs.
Insurance reimbursement rates for prescriptions are a big challenge for pharmacies, and the Guldals aren’t entirely sure how it will shake out. They’re working with Independent Rx Consulting and Health Mart Atlas to navigate the industry landscape, but “honestly, I’m trying to wing it right now,” Levent says. “We’re trying to try to see what works.”
Ann Arbor Drugs also offers a private consultation room, a range of over-the-counter products, immunizations, and local delivery. After soft opening in late February, they’re planning an April 3 grand opening.
“We’re proud to be here,” says Stacy. “We’re proud to be from here and excited for people to figure us out and give us a try.”
Ann Arbor Drugs, 1948 W. Stadium. (734) 563–7847 (734–56–DRUGS). Mon.–Fri. 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Closed Sun. annarbordrugs.com
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