Bushard’s Pharmacy & Apothecary recently commemorated its 75th anniversary, underscoring that family-owned and operated businesses can endure in an era of online retail.
Hospitality Night provided a backdrop for the Pharmacy to share a catered meal and black-and-white photos with long-time customers. The milestone also provided a moment for owner Sheila Bushard-Jamison to reflect on the family’s history and how the staff has helped the community cope with COVID-19 for the last 21 months.
Joe and Mary Bushard moved to Laguna Beach in 1943. Joe, a graduate of the USC School of Pharmacy, and his brother Earl opened the Pharmacy’s original location across South Coast Highway from Hotel Laguna in 1946. At that time pharmacy included a soda parlor, where Mary and her sister-in-law Charlotte worked.
Early on Bushard knew he wanted to re-locate the business to Forest Avenue, which had already established itself as the town’s Main Street. In the early 1950s, the Pharmacy moved to 248 Forest Ave. Bushard finished construction and relocated to the current pharmacy building in 1963.
“People loved him because he had a sense of humor and was very caring,” Bushard-Jamison said.
As a 13-year-old girl, Bushard-Jamison started coming to work for her dad after school. On a daily basis, customers stop to share stories with the pharmacy staff about vacations and their kids’ graduations. It’s these conversations that still motivate Bushard-Jamison to come into the office.
When it was time for her dad to retire, Bushard-Jamison and her business partner Tony D’Altorio, took the helm in 1986. They ran the business together for over 20 years.
It’s a stretch to find another downtown business that has continuously operated as long as the Pharmacy. In 2014, Michael Hayes sold his jewelry shop to Fredric H. Rubel Jewelers after more than 40 years in business. Bushard-Jamison recalled when Peacock Insurance Agency operated out of Tuvalu’s storefront.
Besides selling must-haves like sunscreen and wide-brimmed hats to tourists, Bushard’s has maintained a loyal customer base for its fragrances. Women depend on the Pharmacy to stock the rare perfume they have worn for up to 50 years but can’t buy anywhere else. Employees ship these fragrances to buyers nationwide
Marisa Fader, 33, didn’t anticipate she would one day take over the family business while playing volleyball in high school and earning her bachelor’s degree in business from Loyola Marymount University. Her grandfather died her when she was five years old and her memories of him are from outside the Pharmacy—including trips to the beach.
After graduating from college into a tough job market, Fader needed something to do and came to work for her mom in 2010.
“I didn’t realize how special the community part of our business is before I was actually spending time here,” she said.
Four years ago, Fader started managing the store as vice president and has taken charge of rebranding the Pharmacy, partly through more active marketing on social media. They also recently accepted an offer to start retailing for Laguna Canyon Organics, a cannabidiol product manufacturer.
“We’re keeping that charm that people enjoy about a family-run, community independent pharmacy but also trying to market to people my own age who might not realize how special a place this,” Fader said.
As an essential component of the local healthcare sector, Bushard’s has remained open since the start of COVID-19. In the pandemic’s early days, customers rushed in wanting to buy a three-month supply of medications—many were willing to pay cash if insurance companies wouldn’t cover the bulk cost.
Bushard-Jamison and Fader immediately made the decision to offer free home delivery of prescription medications. The home delivery service subsequently tripled in the first six months of COVID-19.
“I felt that it was the only decent thing I could do,” Bushard-Jamison said. “My dad would have done the same thing.”
In April, Bushard’s Pharmacy partnered with the owners of the former Laguna Drug building to open a COVID-19 vaccine site at 239 Broadway. Bushard’s pursued a satellite vaccine site because it would have been difficult to for customers to social distance in the Forest Avenue building.
“In a sense it’s increased our marketing because people didn’t want to drive to Anaheim for the shot,” Bushard-Jamison said. “We met a lot of people who had never shopped here before.”
Melissa Norelli, a 15-year customer, was shopping for a Christmas gift for her mom on Thursday. Makeup artist Beth Major recommended a French face soap she enjoys using.
“It’s our hometown store. It’s not a big chain,” she said. “Taking the time to read the back of a box for me and pick something out for my mom—It feels like you’re loved.”
As the mother of a two-year-old son, Fader is proud to see the family’s fourth generation join the community. Bushard-Jamison now cares for her grandson part-time and the pair enjoy riding trolleys to visit Fader at the Pharmacy.
“One of my biggest things is trying to make our family and my family proud by having the business be here for 75 years and hopefully, you know, a hundred years,” Fader said.
i worked at Bushards for 2 years during college. Joe was a great guy to work for and always willing to teach. Worked with Sheila also. Good old days.