Elizabethton’s newest pharmacy hopes to bring customized, personal service to its customer base.

Owners Phillip and Holly Reed opened Reed Pharmacy, 851 W. Elk Ave., on April 21, with the goal of continuing the tradition+ of operating an independent, small pharmacy for the citizens of Elizabethton.

The couple made the decision to locate their pharmacy in Elizabethton after long-time local Union Prescription Shop owner Jim Anderson retired after 42 years and closed his pharmacy.

“When Union Pharmacy closed, it left a gap in Elizabethton,” Phillip Reed said. “With it gone, there were only two other like it, that were locally owned and operated. The advantages of having an independent, small hometown pharmacy is starting to go by the wayside. We have found that people like and deserve to have the opportunity to shop in a place like this.”

Reed has worked in pharmacies for 14 years and was licensed as a pharmacist in 2008. He graduated from Mercer Pharmacy School and is a member of the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists.

He has worked for larger chain pharmacies and for smaller locally-owned shops before opening his own store. He prefers to maintain the locally-owned status because he feels it helps make better customer connections.

“When working with a chain, you lose that interpersonal connection of really knowing your patients,” he said.

Along with traditional prescription services, Reed Pharmacy offers compounding, pet medications, immunizations, diabetic counseling and supplies, ostomy supplies and medical equipment. The pharmacy is the only one in Elizabethton to offer compounding services, Reed said.

“It is personalized medication tailored to a specific customer’s needs,” he said. “This is the way it used to be done. The medicine is made, dosed for that specific person.”

Most compounded prescriptions are prescribed through a doctor; others are made for a patient’s needs. For example, if a patient cannot swallow a pill or tablet, the medication can be made in a liquid form. Medications can also be flavored to make them more pleasant tasting.

“We see things differently here,” he said. “We treat our customers like a person, not a number.”

Reed Pharmacy will celebrate its official grand opening on June 9 with a ribbon cutting at 1 p.m. The pharmacy is open 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and closed on Sunday. To contact Reed Pharmacy call 423-518-1088 or visit www.facebook.com/reedpharmacy.