As pharmacies shut down nationwide, a small Northeast Ohio town is finding its own solution to fill a gap in services.
The Grafton Village Council recently awarded a $100,000 grant to Alberts Fresh Market to build a new pharmacy in its 80-year-old building. The store’s owner said he felt compelled to do something when the village’s only pharmacy shut down over the summer.
“I’m just tired of having to go someplace to get what we should be able to get in any village or any community,” said Ralph Pence.
The lifelong area resident purchased the historic market on Main Street almost two years ago, hoping to fill a demand for fresh, accessible food and local amenities.
“This is our community. We’ve lived here our whole entire life,” he said. “I hope we’re filling a void. We want to have fresh fruits, we want to have fresh vegetables, we want to have local people.”
When Pence took over the store and rebranded it as Alberts Fresh Market, he planned an extensive remodeling project and even considered adding an ice cream shop to the market. But when the Rite Aid across the street closed, leaving the town without another pharmacy, he said the need was apparent.
“I told my wife, ‘We’ve got to make a difference. There’s some way we’ve got to do this,’” he recalled.
The Grafton Rite Aid was a victim of sweeping closures by the pharmacy chain.
RELATED: Why are so many pharmacies closing? Rite Aid announces 20 Ohio store closures this month
A larger trend of bankruptcy and restructuring has forced the closure of numerous big-box and independent pharmacies nationwide.
Studies suggest the closure of a pharmacy can create a direct impact on a community’s health.
RELATED: Live near a pharmacy that just closed? OSU study says health can decline following closure
The next closest pharmacy for Grafton residents is in a neighboring town about four miles away. The distance poses a challenge for neighbors without reliable transportation or with mobility issues.
“Most of us old timers, we can’t get out and go anywhere but around here,” said Delmar King.
The 90-year-old veteran walks several blocks to Alberts Fresh Market weekly and relies on ride services to access his healthcare. His situation and others’ experiences since the pharmacy’s closure provoke emotion in Pence.
“I break down because we care,” he said. “It’s cost me more than I intended— with sweat, with time, with money. But there comes a point where you have to decide what you do is going to make a difference.”
Pence said other neighbors were the ones who informed him about the village’s application for grants funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). After applying, the Village Council awarded the market its highest grant for the pharmacy project.
“We have an opportunity to return the concept of a small town pharmacy to this village. And I think that’s a really unique and special honor to be able to have that for our residents,” said Village Administrator Andrew Lipian.
Lipian explained the funds were allocated for projects related to improving the health and overall welfare of the community. He said the money must be used by the end of 2026.
Pence plans to add the pharmacy to the southern end of the store, creating a full-service counter and drive-thru window. Customers will also have access to a delivery option. He told News 5 he’s partnering with a local independent pharmacy, though he wasn’t ready to discuss the specifics of the partner.
He said it was critical to keep investing in the community that’s invested in him and his business.
“Our roots are deep. And that might be what we have versus what a lot of other people don’t have,” he said.
