Despite the changes in the neighborhood, the Economy Drug Store remains an integral part of the Frenchtown community

Large national drugstore chains appear to have taken over the industry. But it seems that old-fashioned, independent pharmacies are very much alive in Florida’s capital. Here is the first in a series of stories from WFSU about the drugstores in the community’s hometown.
If you happen to stroll into the little shop front at 319 North Macomb Street, you’ll come face to face with this cheerful lady.

“Alexis Roberts McMillan here at the Economy Drug Store in Frenchtown.”

It is a company that has been in their family for almost three quarters of a century.

“My father and his colleague bought it from the Jimerson family in 1951, so we’ve been here a long time.”

But a lot has changed since 1951. The most obvious change is the explosive growth of giant pharmacy chains like Walgreens and CVS. And even supermarkets like Publix and retail monster Walmart have their own on-site pharmacies. With a tiny store footprint and no volume purchasing power, said Roberts McMillan, there’s a word for what it takes for a drugstore like theirs to be competitive.

“Tenough! Tenacious. Just stubbornness. It takes a long time to see if we can do something special for someone that they might not get in what I call big department stores.”

Surprisingly, Roberts McMillan said customers would sometimes show up and say one of the big chains actually recommended them.

“We went to one of these big department stores and I was told, ‘You won’t find that here, but go to the Economy Drug Store.’ I like to hear that! I just love this to death. So every once in a while that’s going to happen.”

Because Economy Drug Store has been a critical part of the community for such a long time, Roberts McMillan said maintaining customer loyalty across generations is a big factor in sustaining the business. She said that even includes families who moved from Frenchtown long ago.

“We still see that granddaughter, grandson, nephew or niece coming up and saying, ‘Aunt so and so or grandma so and so used to come here during the cold season,’ and they would make sure they would pay attention to everything.” my father would suggest to them. So we must be the channel still trying to do this.

That longevity and uninterrupted connection to customers and community, she said, has kept Economy Drug Store going.

“We love being the place in the neighborhood to go to. We may not have the jukebox in the pharmacy that we had as a kid. We no longer have the soda fountain or the comics. But we’re definitely trying to remember and acknowledge that we’re seeing another generation of this family that I may have grown up with. We see that and we’re happy about it.”

There is also a new generation of pharmacists in training who, as Roberts McMillan explained, are using the venerable Economy Drug Store as a career launchpad.

“Students have to volunteer so many hours at a pharmacy. That’s why we’re happy to be able to help people in this way. And we’re getting students, not just from Florida A&M, but from the University of Florida.”

Despite the many challenges of being a small, standalone business amidst the giant chains, Alexis Roberts McMillan hopes Frenchtown’s economy drug store will carry on as calmly as if it had been doing it for so long.

“We’re just looking forward — again — to being here and not going anywhere. We like it and we hope people will come in and shop with us.”

Our next trip in our series of visits to the drugstores in Tallahassee’s hometown takes us from Mahan Drive to Eastwood Pharmacy.