HILLSBURGH – After roughly 30 years, residents in Hillsburgh now have their own pharmacy close to home.
The Hillsburgh Pharmacy, owned by registered pharmacist Bhoomi Chaudhari, was officially opened to the public on Sept. 25.
After six long months of preparation, Chaudhari will host a grand opening for the pharmacy, located at 100 Trafalgar, on Dec. 14 at 9am.
The opening will include a ribbon cutting with Mayor Michael Dehn and local dignitaries as well as refreshments and snacks, a social media contest, photo booth and three lucky draw contest winners.
The entire store will have a 20 per cent discount and a 25% discount on fashion and winter accessories.
“It’s like a dream come true,” Chaudhari told the Advertiser.
The pharmacy is a franchise of PharmaChoice, a co-operative of more than 500 independent pharmacies serving communities across Canada.
The venture is a first for Chaudhari, who said the response from the community has made the transition worthwhile.
Chaudhari, who has been practicing medicine since 2018, lives in Brampton with her husband and two-year-old daughter. Her family was looking at the subdivisions in Erin and became familiar with the area.
“When we visited the Foodland in Hillsburgh we noticed a lot of older people here, so for them I thought they needed a closer [pharmacy],” she explained.
She decided to open the pharmacy as both a career opportunity and a way to help a “great community.”
Chaudhari also spoke about the expected population spike for Hillsburgh in the coming years.
“That’s another factor that we looked at it; a new community will need a pharmacy,” she said.
The pharmacy currently has about 100 registered patients.
According to Chaudhari, the community’s reaction has been “amazing,” with many patients telling her how “great it is to have a pharmacy so handy.”
At the moment she is the only employee with the help of her husband when needed.
Chaudhari plans to hire more staff in the future “as business grows.”
“It’s close to my heart and that’s why you go above and beyond for each and every patient, because this is what I’ve wanted to do all my life,” Chaudhari said.
“I’m very hopeful about this place and it’s giving me great feelings that it’s going to work out.”
Bhoomi Chaudhari is a registered pharmacist who owns the Hillsburgh Pharmacy. Submitted photos
Major expansion
“Hillsburgh has been for quite a few years kind of depressed with the businesses downtown,” Ward 9 county councillor Jeff Duncan told the Advertiser.
He explained the pharmacy location has served as numerous restaurants and bars over the years.
“Hillsburgh is on the verge of a major expansion,” Duncan added, referring to various subdivisions being constructed in the village.
Hillsburgh’s population is estimated to go from 1,400 to 6,100 between 2021 and 2051, according to Duncan. That means the number of households in the area will jump from the current 550 to over 2,200.
“It’s neat to see some of the businesses coming to town probably responding to that opportunity,” Duncan said.
He moved to the area in the early 1990s and noted there was a pharmacy in Hillsburgh but it closed shortly after a year.
“The pharmacy isn’t now just a place you buy your bottle of aspirin and a chocolate bar; it’s a primary health partner so they offer flu shots, advice, hands-on stuff with the pharmacist,” explained Duncan.
“She can give you the time and make it a personal service,” he said referring to Chaudhari.
